One Shots
by ScarletRedfox
Summary: A collection of FMA/Brotherhood one shots featuring not only pairings (Ed&Win, Al&Mei, Roy&Riza, Trisha&Hohenheim, Greed/Ling&Lan Fan, Homunculi fics, Truth fics...etc.) but also various side characters of FMA! Hope you guys enjoy! From angst to romance and all in between! ;) New cover photo!
1. The Night before the Promised Day

Hello everyone! This is my **first** FMA fic, so I hope the characters aren't too OOC!

As the title suggests, this fic will be made of many one shots of various pairings ( **Ed &Winry, Al&Mei, Greed/Ling&Lan Fan, Hohenheim&Trisha, Roy&Riza**…etc.) If you want me to write a one shot concerning any of these pairings (or maybe even others I may have forgotten to write down) by all means feel free to write your ideas in reviews or PM me! Thanks!

I used **episode 45 of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood** to aid me in writing this scene, this is my opinion on what could have happened after Ed stormed out on Winry and met Greed on the stairs.

Without further ado, read and enjoy the story! :D

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot, Fullmetal Alchemist and all the characters/names of places…etc. belong to their rightful owners!**

* * *

 **The Night before the Promised Day**

"Gosh, you're so annoying Winry!" Ed slammed the door shut behind him, grabbing his shirt on the way.

He failed to hear Winry's hurt voice," Edward…" her blue eyes were sad, feelings of hurt welled up inside her. She clenched her fists and set her jaw tight, she would _not_ cry. She promised him she would cry tears of joy the next she did, now was not the time.

Ed was stressed for the big battle tomorrow, of course he would be on edge but…did he _have_ to be such an insensitive moron?!

Winry let out a frustrated growl, throwing her wench in the corner, hitting a vase by mistake and breaking it into thousands of pieces.

Oh, oh, Granny would have her head for this. Winry sighed heavily, looking at the door, in the direction where Ed just stormed out of.

* * *

Ed growled lowly deep in his throat, his shirt over his shoulder as he was walking down the stairs. He spotted Greed leaning against the wall at the stairs, his eyes closed as if deep in thought.

But Edward knew better.

"Oh man, she's a peach." Greed opened his eyes, a wide grin stretching over it, teeth and all, "Sounds like she wants everything, my kinda girl,"

If possible, Ed's mood only darkened further at Greed's comment. He didn't particularly hate the Homunculus, in fact, he was the only one whom he could tolerate and even liked, well alright… _like_ may be too much, but something like that.

"That kind of want is dangerous, it's not how reality works." Ed lifted his automail hand, his frown darkening, "Take a look, this is what I got for wanting something unrealistic." The painful memory of that fateful night of his first attempt at human transmutation rose like bile in his throat. His human hand clenched his shirt tighter, his jaw set tightly.

He was caught off guard by Greed though, "I disagree. You wanna bring back someone that you lost, you might want money, maybe you want women, or you might wanna protect the world. These are all common things people want, things that their hearts desire." He had enough of this.

He certainly didn't need a lecture from _Greed_ of all people, Homunculus or not, Ed was prepared to leave before he did something he may regret, well he couldn't say he would regret if he punched Greed in the face, but he would feel bad for Ling.

"Greed may not be good but it's not so bad either." Greed continued to talk, not bothered that Edward was obviously peeved at his lectures and started to leave, "You humans think greed is just for money and power, but everyone wants something they don't have."

Greed watched Edward carefully, his keen eyes noticed the way Ed stopped for a minute, his words seemingly having impact on the young alchemist. Greed knew better than to expect a verbal reply or any at all for that matter, but the brief hesitation Ed showed him was enough.

His words got through to him, that was all he wanted. Greed's grin vanished but his smirk remained.

" _Aw, hell, those kids are giving me a headache. Wonder how ol' granny's even putting up with that bunch, I would have kicked them outta the house a long time ago,"_ Greed commented in his mind, mentally communicating with Ling.

" _Don't be so harsh Greed, Ed's having a hard time now, tomorrow there will be a big fight and none of us knows how it will conclude. We don't know who will live and who…"_ the prince paused, letting the words linger in his conscious.

" _Tch, if ya ask me, I wasn't direct enough. I can hear the Rockbell girl crying a mile away and the stupid blonde's just too dense to do anything about it, guess good ,old Greed needs to shine once again,"_ Greed sighed and smirked, pushing himself away from the wall and heading upstairs towards Winry's room.

" _Greed, don't you dare do something."_ Ling warned and Greed almost physically felt the restraints Ling put on him, causing him to falter by the next step, however Greed easily brushed it off.

" _Calm down princy. I ain't doing nothing, can't a greedy homunculus even have a nice little chat with a lady once in a while?_ " Ling scoffed in displeasure and Greed shrugged, not about to apologize for his words.

After all, he wasn't done lecturing just yet.

* * *

"Stupid Greed. Stupid Winry. Ugh, why do they all need to be so damn noisy?! Can't they just take care of their own business and not butt into mine?!" Ed growled, kicking a rock from the path in anger.

He sighed heavily, looking up at the dark, starry sky, lost in his scrambled thoughts. Ed shook his head when an image of his childhood friend appeared in his mind and he continued walking aimlessly, observing the quiet landscape around him.

"She is sobbing you know?" the voice of his little brother startled him, Ed whipped around looking up at the suit of armor that hosted his brother's soul.

Golden eyes widened, "W-what?" his voice was quiet, unsure. Hearing that Winry was sobbing, possibly crying…because of him no less…it tore at his heart.

"She isn't crying but…" it made no difference to Alphonse, but knowing of his promise to Winry, thought he should add it before his brother completely lost it.

Edward being Edward, ever the stubborn guy since he was a toddler, he turned his head in the other direction, huffing in annoyance, resting one hand on his hip while still holding his white shirt with the other.

"Tch…she thinks it's all so easy, defeating a guy who claims to rival God, fighting against the Homunculi…we are only humans Al, we may have Greed on our side but that can't turn the tables in our favor. She has to realize there is a chance for us never coming back." He paused, "She didn't fight them Al, she doesn't know their power, Father's power, she has no idea what we are up against and yet she has the guts to just tell me to come home safe and sound?!" he crossed his arms in anger.

He could hear Al sigh behind him, "Brother…Winry is just worried about you, you know that." Ed's head lowered slightly, enough so his golden bangs covered his eyes.

"Yeah…I know…" he sighed and turned to face his little brother, " But does she _have_ to be so damn noisy? And bossy?! That annoying woman! Remember that one time I bought her a new wench? Because _apparently_ I broke her old one because I have such a thick skull! Thanks to her throwing random wenches at me!

You remember what the first thing was she did with it right Al? She threw it at me when she saw my arm wrecked and you in a cart, demolished, General Armstrong just kept striking those weird as hell poses… Of course, when somebody buys you a new wench the first thing you do with it is throw it at someone's head and try to kill them with it!" Ed's nostrils flared in anger and Al swore he saw steam coming out of them.

Ed sighed heavily after a while of growling in displeasure, he rubbed his face and ran a hand through his hair.

With his automail arm.

Edward paused to look at it, to _really_ look at it. He saw the careful detail dedicated to it, the strong, very durable metal used here, reinforced, adjusted so it wasn't too heavy but also that it could endure a good beating. The shape looked very human-like, aside from the visible bolts and screws of course but otherwise if it was covered by cloth it looked like a normal, human arm.

Ed remembered all those times where he returned to Winry and Pinako, all beat up, either his automail arm or leg gone, or even both after a very hard fight. He remembered all the times where Winry scolded him, threw her precious wenches at his head, attempted to kill him, chased him around the house.

Remembered all those times where he learned that when he bought her jewelry, most notably earrings, she wouldn't be so quick to anger or physically lash out at him or Al – though it was obvious Ed took the main beating every time. It wasn't just about saving his ass from her wrath either, he had enjoyed seeing the look of pure affection and joy in her face, similar to when she saw another mechanic's work which was superior to her own.

"You know…" he scratched the back of his neck, feeling embarrassment creeping up on him, "Maybe I….maybe I had been a bit too…hard on her…" Ed smiled softly then, "I mean, she always stuck with me, even if I was unbearable and kept annoying the screws out of her, she still stuck with me and fixed me up. No matter how bad I wrecked her automail, she always pulled countless of all-nighters to get them fixed and never complained about them once."

He looked back up at the stars, saw them twinkling brightly, others more so than the rest.

He made a decision.

Ed closed his eyes and smiled, he turned around and wordlessly passed his brother, heading back in the direction of the Rockbell home.

"Where are you going brother?" Alphonse asked, watching as his older brother walked toward the old house.

"What does it look like? I gotta tell some stuff to my mechanic after all," Ed grinned and turned briefly to look at Al.

Only to see his brother having a chibi smirking face, he could almost _see_ the hearts swarming around his head and that cat-like smile on his face.

"K-knock it off Al!" Ed shouted out in embarrassment and Al just giggled, watching in amusement how Ed was now firmly walking toward the house, with intent.

Al sighed, the smile still present even though you couldn't see it.

"I hope he uses the right words…" well, there was no point in standing there any longer, he could only hope that his brother wasn't forced to share Den's dog house again after his talk with Winry.

* * *

Ed was smiling, he finally knew what to say. As much as he hated to apologize first, he knew it was his fault in the first place.

At times he had to make sacrifices in order to prevent further chaos.

When Edward closed the door behind him, he saw Pinako sipping what looked to be tea with what Edward dubbed as their squad. Granny spotted him standing at the entrance and sent him a sly grin, raising her mug slightly in his direction.

Ed swore the woman knew too much at times… _far_ too much.

He ignored the knowing look from her and continued up the stairs, he briefly wondered where Greed/Ling had disappeared to, since he hadn't seen him downstairs with the others and he wasn't leaning against the wall anymore either.

He shrugged, he didn't want to dwell on it too much longer.

Edward didn't bother to knock, though he should have.

He _definitely_ should have.

What he saw….Winry with….with…with

 _Greed_.

And they….they were….oh my god…they were…

 _Talking._

A shiver ran up Ed's spine, his human hand twitched, itching to transform his automail into a blade and make Greed make a run for his money.

What the _hell_ was the Homunculus doing here? Inside _Winry's_ room? With _Winry_?

The two noticed him, Greed had already spotted him from the window, going back to the house. Winry however, was more than surprised to see him here back so soon.

She was sure he would be too mad to even look at her and only offer her a dry goodbye the next morning before they left.

"E-Edward? W-what are you doing here?" she blinked, utterly confused.

Greed then decided it was the best time to smirk, with a devilish aura surrounding him.

Ed suddenly wished he had some sort of weapon, similar like Winry with her wench, to throw at Greed's grinning face. Oh how he wanted to bash in his ugly mug-

"Ed?" Winry interrupted his murderous thoughts, looking at him expectantly.

He was still standing by the door, Ed's lips drew into a thin line, straightening to his full height, locking gazes with Greed.

The mischievous Homunculus loved to rile up the older Elric brother, his reactions alone were priceless. Though he had enough common sense to notice when it was the time for jokes and now was not the time. He sensed the alarm and wariness coming from him, he had to talk his way smoothly out of this before the other man suspected the worst.

"Well, then, thank ya for telling me how to harden my Ultimate Shield further toots. Now not even Fullmetal can beat me," he offered a rebellious grin, winking at Winry before casually walking past Ed and outside.

"By the way, don't be too loud kids, the walls are thin and we Homunculus have good ears ya hear?" Greed chuckled deeply, "'Sides, no need to give ol' granny a heart attack so early already."

"Who are you calling old?!" it seemed as if Granny Pinako heard him, because a second later, there was a deep yelp, followed by continues "ow" sounds coming from Greed. At least Pinako was brave enough to discipline the Homunculus.

"So…what was Greed doing here?" Ed asked suspiciously, eyeing Winry up and down. It seemed like she was fine, the greedy bastard hadn't hurt her or laid a finger on her as far as Edward could see.

"We just talked Edward, he said he had to be at his best tomorrow so he told me what the problem was with his Ultimate Shield. I told him a couple of things and he said he was willing to try them out," Winry crossed her arms, annoyed at Ed for interrogating her like some criminal.

Ed could see this was quickly going out of control and _not_ into his favor. He cleared his throat, before he could utter his next sentence, he noticed the broke pieces on the floor, behind Winry's feet. He recognized it as the vase that had been resting on the desk…had been…

He felt his heart constrict slightly, Winry was so angry that she broke a vase? Because of him? She had been known to violence, mostly though towards him, but he hadn't really taken into consideration just how strongly she felt about all this.

Edward wordlessly approached Winry, he kneeled down and began to gather the larger pieces of the vase, Winry, without saying anything as well, kneeled next to him and helped him pick up the pieces.

By the time they gathered all the broken pieces, not a single word was spoken between them.

"I'm sorry…" surprisingly it had been Winry who apologized first, Ed clenched his fist in anger, anger at himself. He had made her suffer so much…and in the end it was _her_ who had to apologize first?

It certainly went against his firm beliefs of alchemy. She had given him so much…and he had taken more than he deserved, far more. It wasn't fair, those definitely weren't the laws of alchemy he had sworn to uphold and go by in his life…

"This isn't equivalent exchange…" he muttered, standing tall before Winry, who was now slightly shorter than him.

Her blonde head quickly shot up to look at him, blue eyes wide in surprise, before she frowned, "Ed, I'm really not in the mood to hear about alchemy right now," before Winry could wave him off and leave, he grabbed her wrist, stopping her dead in her tracks.

"Listen Winry…" Ed took a deep breath and turned to look at her, releasing her wrist, "You were always there for me and Al, you and Granny saved me after our failed human transmutation, you fixed me up after I came home and wrecked your automail, you actually went out of your way and endangered yourself, just so that we were one step closer to finding the Philosopher's Stone." He could see how surprised she was at the direction where this conversation was taking them.

"I always complained, kept annoying the hell outta you, never thanked ya for repairing my arm and leg, never showed gratitude when you would pull all nighters just to fix my automail, I always left you behind, I was so hell bent on getting our bodies back that I completely neglected all the people supporting us this whole time," Ed grit his teeth, his gaze directed at the floor. He was still hell bent on getting their bodies back, especially Al's, but he realized just now, years later, what severe mistakes he had been making by ignoring his family and friends around him.

"Ed…" Winry didn't cry but her voice shook slightly, her emotions getting the better of her.

"Please, just…just let me finish," Ed took another deep breath, finally looking into her eyes, "The things you said earlier…about coming back alive after the battle…" he hesitated and this time Winry cut him off firmly

"I _know_ it's not that easy Ed, I know you may as well all die tomorrow and that I'm left alone with the flashbacks and memories here with grandma and Den. I know that Edward! And that scares me! This is different than when you and Al would go on your journeys, I had faith you would come back, beat up but alive because I know you would kill yourself before you let anything happen to you two. But….but…" she bit her lip hard

"And you think I won't do the same now?" he watched as her eyes widened a fraction, looking at him astounded, "We may face powerful opponents, possibly the most powerful ones we ever faced. But we have back up Winry, we have friends; Greed, Ling, Lan Fan, Mei, Major Armstrong and his sister, Mustang, Hawkeye and everyone from the military.

There _is_ a chance we…may die, but I'll damn make sure it's a small one! After all, I promised you the next time you cry, it would be tears of joy right?" he grinned at her, his expression warm and reassuring.

Emotions overtook Winry's entire being, she released a half sob, half laugh, rubbing furiously at her eyes to not cry.

"Ed…" Winry sighed, before she could tell him something though, Ed suddenly stepped closer to her and grabbed her hand with his automail arm, bringing it to rest against his chest.

She could hear the strong beating of his heart beneath her hand, his muscles as they contracted and relaxed, she looked up at him, her face pink.

"I won't break our promise Winry, I'll do my best not to." He nodded, fixing her with a serious expression. She wasn't sure when was the last time Ed had looked so serious at her but she believed him, believed that he and everyone else would make it out ok.

She nodded ,unable to speak, she was afraid she just may break down into tears. It seemed like he understood, because Ed rested his other hand on top of her head and pulled her against his chest.

They said nothing, just stood there, Winry in Ed's embrace.

She was starting to become sleepy, she vaguely registered Edward picking her up bridal-style, pulling the cover away and laying her gently into bed, covering her with the blanket again.

She felt his automail hand slipping from her grasp, so she tightened her grip, afraid he would leave and that this was all a big, cruel dream.

"Heh, figures, you're such a automail freak," Ed lightly teased her, before she moved to leave room for him so he could lay in next to her. There wasn't much room, but it seemed like both didn't mind.

Before succumbing to sleep, Winry managed to tease back, "Alchemy freak…" the last thing she heard was Ed's deep, warm chuckle and both his hands tightening on her own.

* * *

The next morning came all too quickly, when Winry shot out of bed in a panic, she kept searching everywhere for the familiar figure of one Edward Elric. He must have already left…

She bit her lips hard, intent on not crying. It wasn't the time for crying, not until Ed and Al came back in their own bodies.

She got dressed and as she finished, she saw the vase, the same vase that was in broken in shards on the desk, was now fully repaired.

Winry smiled, "Ed…" she could hear her grandmother saying something, it sounded like she was outside the house.

Wait…that meant…

Winry quickly stormed outside, just in time to see Ed, Greed and the rest telling their goodbye's. Ed's gaze softened upon spotting Winry storming out of the house, Pinako just grinned with the pipe in her mouth.

Greed shot her a smirk and a reassuring nod, Winry smiled at him.

"Ed!" Winry shouted, stopping next to the short, old woman. There were so many things still unsaid between them, mostly on her part, Edward had been doing much of the talking yesterday after all. Words failed her though, she didn't know what to say.

"Wait for us with a freshly baked apple pie. Deal?" Ed said, looking back at her over his shoulder with a warm, happy smile.

Winry's expression softened, she blinked back the stubborn tears, "Deal!" those were the last words they exchanged before they departed on their journey, though small and insignificant to everyone else, to Winry they meant the world.

Ed would come back. She was sure.

"Say Greed, what were you really talking about with Wintry last night?" Ed casted a sidelong glance at the Homunculus inside the prince's body, carefully analyzing his facial expressions.

Greed was well aware of that, so he kept his face neutral, "Whatcha mean kid? I told ya, we talked about how to harden my shield and make it so my old man couldn't penetrate it as easily. Gotta say, she's a smart girl, your mechanic." He grinned

Ed smiled, "Yeah…my mechanic sure is amazing,"

* * *

 **Conversation between Winry and Greed**

There was a knock on her door and then it opened, Winry, out of sheer anger at Edward, thinking it was him, threw her wench straight at his face.

Only instead of a pained yelp, there was a resonating metallic sound. Wait…she hit metal…?

Winry turned around fully only to not spot Edward but Greed instead, his hand having caught her wench, which was protected by his Ultimate Shield.

"Honey, I'm Greed the Avaricious, the guy with the Ultimate Shield, you gotta do better than that to hurt me," he smirked, setting the wench on the desk beside the door.

Winry blushed in embarrassment," I-I'm sorry! I….I thought you were…someone else…" she frowned, huffing in annoyance.

Greed's easy going grin dropped, he closed the door and sighed approaching the Rockbell woman.

Winry regarded him with curiosity.

"Let me guess – the kid has no idea how to read women and you're pissed at him that you let the poor man sleep outside huh?" he half joked, expecting a slap, a punch or another wrench. However, nothing came.

He blinked, the woman really looked hurt…

"Tch, he's just so…insensitive! Such a jerk! All he thinks of is getting their bodies back! I understand that he's doing this for Al, but how can he even think that Al and everyone else will be happy if he dies by trying to bring their bodies back?! He's so reckless! Always destroying my automail, making me worry, he's….he's…" Winry groaned in frustration, running her fingers through her hair.

Greed observed her quietly and sighed, pesky humans.

"I see. Sounds like you want everything, huh?" he shot her a sidelong glance, the brief, mostly one sided conversation with Edward surfacing in his mind.

"What?" she looked at him aghast, "N-no I don't! I don't want money or fortune or anything at all! I just…I just want them back…safe and sound…" she clenched her teeth

His earlier words fell from his lips, "You humans think greed is just for money and power, but _everyone wants something they don't have_." He smirked when her wide, blue eyes widened only further in recognition.

"Admit it, you're greedy just like everyone else. Whether it is the desire to have money, to be surrounded by women, to have power like no other…or simply to have your family home with you…that's all greed. Greed comes in many forms and most of the time, humans don't even know what it's true form."

"You mean like you?" that took Greed entirely off guard… _what?_

 _"_ _Oh, she's good,"_ commented Ling inside his – their – mind.

Greed snapped at him mentally _:" Shut the hell up princie! I wanna hear this!"_

"Don't know whatcha talkin' about toots," he regarded Winry warily, his arms crossed. Where was she going with this?

"You are the embodiment of greed itself, you have many forms to show too. The bodies you host, the facades you show to people…what is _your_ true personality like Greed? Is it really just a monster lusting after power?" this time she smiled, though her smile was soft and understanding.

Greed frowned, "Now, now, where did this come from? Guess there is something else inside that pretty head of yours besides screws and bolts eh?" he tried to rile her up, but she stood her ground, fixing him with a glare.

"Don't try to ignore the question, Greed." The Homunculus sighed heavily

"You know…I can tear you apart with only one swipe of this," he showed her his hand, now coated in the Ultimate Shield, sharp claws upon his fingers, to his surprise it didn't even faze Winry.

"You wouldn't hurt me, if you wanted to you would have hurt Granny and everyone else long ago," Greed's shield disappeared and he smiled, not a smirk or grin, but just a normal smile.

"Damn…you're more perceptive than I thought. Women and their minds, not even the greatest Alchemists or doctors can figure out what you're thinking," he flashed her a teasing smile, before turning serious again, "The kid is like that too, he has many layers but doesn't show em all. He's as loyal to you as that dog of yours, maybe even more. He was on the verge of death countless of times, from what I've gathered, you and the tin can were the main reasons he kept going on,"

Winry's shocked expression didn't deter him, "I know he messed up, bit time, but forcing him to promise something none of us are sure could be fulfilled…isn't that greedy too?"

"…You still didn't answer my question, Greed." His back was turned to her.

He paused, contemplating his answer, Ling was oddly silent this entire time, sans for his little comment earlier before he turned to face her again.

"Looks like that will have to wait a little longer huh? Let's just say I'm not a complete greedy son of a bitch alright?" he sent her a wide grin before he heard the doorknob turn.

Winry smiled, Greed may have many layers, but she figured it wasn't so bad either.

She was happy to see that Ed had entered, she wanted to talk to him anyway.

" _Thanks…Greed,"_ as if the Homunculus heard her thoughts he sent her one last wink before he left her and Edward alone in her room once again.

"Kids these days…man, my medical bills are gonna be damn high from all those pills I gotta chuck down to get rid of that nasty headache," he smirked, descending the stairs to join the loud bunch in the kitchen.

" _You did the right thing Greed, I'm actually surprised,"_ Ling commented, arms crossed with a satisfied.

" _Oh really? What, having such low opinions of me eh? I may be Greed the Avaricious but I ain't like my old man,"_ Greed paused before he again, talked to Ling in his mind with a devilish smirk, "Y _a think I should have tried to grope her rack? Maybe that would have done it too…after all the kid caught a glimpse of em'…"_

Greed winced when Ling's loud, enraged voice rang in his mind, raging at him to shut up and to quench his perverted demons.

Greed just grinned and laughed.

Phew finished! How was it? What do you think? Were the characters too OOC? What about Greed? Suggestions for further chapters are welcome! Thanks for reading!


	2. Uniform

Hi guys back again! :D I hope everyone reading my stories will also enjoy this little one shot!

 **Uniform**

"That Ed…he's so messy…" Winry complained as she folded Ed's shirts and pants neatly in a pile, before she organized his closet. While for the most part, it was organized, there were a few drawers here and there that made her scrunch her nose up in displeasure.

As she folded his clothes and put them in order again, her eye caught sight of blue fabric on the bottom of the closet floor.

Curiously, she grabbed it and lifted it out of the dark closet, holding it out into the light the sun provided from outside.

A uniform. A blue uniform. Winry scrunched her brows together in thought, the uniform looked like-

Of course! It's from the State Military! No wonder it looked so familiar to her, she had seen Mustang and Riza wearing it more often than their casual clothes, even off duty.

Wait…why was this uniform here? In Ed's closet? She knew Edward had been a State Alchemist working – unwillingly – with the military but he never said anything about a uniform. And she never saw him bring it home either.

Odd…how could he have brought it here without Granny or her seeing it? And…why didn't he ever wore it? She only ever saw him in his signature red coat and casual clothes, never in a uniform.

An image of Ed in a uniform suddenly appeared in her mind and her cheeks heated up at the thought.

Ever since defeating Father and losing his abilities as a Alchemist in exchange for Al's body, Ed had something of a growth spurt. Winry had never believed him, thinking he was just searching for excuses that he was naturally short, but she was starting to think it was the truth.

Edward had mentioned on a couple of instances that due to him providing for Al's body while his body was sealed inside the Gates of Truth, Ed's growth and general development had decreased as a side effect. He was aging normally, but his body was growing slower since he had to somehow sustain Al's body when it had been inside the Gates of Truth.

Now that Al had his body back, Edward was a head taller than Winry, broad shoulders, muscled torso, strong, good functioning legs, all male. All Edward.

Winry's cheeks only heated further because of her thoughts, damn her! Why did she have to think of such things now?!

She willed the thoughts away, but when she looked at the uniform in her arms again, she realized she wanted Ed to at least try it on once. She knew he would immediately get rid of it once he found it, she was pretty sure if he had the same abilities as Mustang, then he would have personally burnt it to ashes.

As if on cue, she heard the familiar footsteps ascending the stairs, heading for his room. Winry felt panic swell inside her for a moment, before she clutched the uniform tighter to her and steeled herself. She could do this, she was a big girl.

Ed opened the door to his room and immediately his eyes landed on Winry, dressed in her home wear; a simple black short-sleeved shirt, a white thin sweater and baggy pants, nothing special and yet to Edward, she still looked beautiful. He mentally kicked himself for his straying thoughts before regarding her, his eyes zeroed in on the familiar item she was clutching in her hands like a lifeline.

"Winry….what are you doing in my room?" Winry swallowed hard, steeling herself once more.

"Tch, the nerve of y-you to even ask! Your room is in desperate need of cleaning, since I'm cleaning the whole house I thought to dare and step inside your room. Ed, it's a mess! I just finished organizing your closet and clothes, all neatly folded inside. I…I found this at the bottom." She bit her lip anxiously, "You remember? It's the State military uniform."

Edward's expression turned grim, his lips drawing in a thin line, "Yeah…I remember," Winry suddenly felt that showing him the uniform instead of just throwing it in the bin may have not been such a good idea.

"Um…I never seen you wear it before," she looked into his golden eyes, waiting for his answer.

Ed scoffed, glaring at the uniform, "Yeah, never could stand those things. It was worse enough I saw Mustang in it," he shivered, Winry managed a small smile at his attempt at joking.

"Don't worry, I will throw it away but…" it was now or never, "Would you…be willing to try it on? Just once?" her eyes were slightly hopeful yet held that rebellious streak in them that indicated she would fight if he started a shouting match with her.

Edward's eyes widened at her question, _what_? _Wear_ it? But _why_?

"Why do you want me to wear it?" Edward asked suspiciously, feeling like a mouse about to walk into a trap.

"W-well, do I-I need a reason?! And besides, I saw Roy and Riza in it but I never saw you in it! And it will be just for a minute, it's not like I'm forcing you to wear it all day ya know?!" Winry huffed, turning her head away from him in defiance.

"Alright," Ed said grimly, he was displeased and uncomfortable but Winry did say for a minute, not like he would die if he wore it for a minute.

"W-what?" blue eyes blinked several times in surprise.

Ed sighed and walked over to her, taking the uniform out of her arms, he looked at it with a slight frown, "I said alright, I'll wear it. But only for a minute." She nodded quickly, watching as he went inside the bathroom to change.

Winry suddenly felt like a utter stranger in his room, it's not like she has never been to Edward's room, in fact Ed, Al and her would often play cards or the like in Ed's room or sometimes hers.

And yet…she felt like she didn't really belong here…

Before she could dwell too long on the thought, the door to the bathroom clicked open and her gaze immediately shot to the door.

Her mouth gaped open on its own, her eyes widening, her body freezing at the sight before her.

A small pout was marring his handsome features, Ed was wearing the uniform. He was actually wearing the uniform.

It was a tight fit, Winry had to admit. After all, he had been short back then when he joined the military. It…it actually looked quite ridiculous to be honest.

The upper uniform, the shirt, if you could still call it that, reached Ed's chest, leaving his stomach slightly exposed but not wholly, the sleeves were also too short, reaching a little above his wrists.

Winry burst out laughing, clutching her stomach at the display. Ed crossed his muscular arms, still pouting.

"Y-you look ridiculous!" Winry laughed, which only made Ed more annoyed.

"Yeah, yeah I get it. Can I take it off now? I feel like a circus monkey…" Ed sighed, scratching his head.

Winry looked at him for a bit longer, "Alright..fine…you can take it off," Edward sighed in relief, immediately throwing the shirt onto the floor.

Winry blushed furiously, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!? NOT HERE IDIOT!" her heart was racing a million miles an hour, she was sure she would get a heart attack at this rate.

"OI! RELAX WOULD YA!? AND STOP SCREAMING DAMN IT! I ain't gonna get naked ya know?!" Ed blushed, crossing his exposed, muscular arms.

He was shirtless. Winry felt slightly light headed.

She had to admit, she had seen Ed more shirtless in his youth than she had cared to count, all times were because of maintenance for her precious automail whenever he _destroyed_ and _completely wrecked_ it or to simply adjust the parts because he had grown an inch or two since his last check up.

But she hadn't seen older Ed, _this_ Ed, shirtless, until now. She felt overwhelmed, she was wondering when Ed had had the opportunity to train to get this… _buff_ but she immediately pushed the thought back, into the darkest recesses of her mind to never be brought up again.

"What?" Ed asked, feeling Winry's intense stare at him. He tilted his head to the side in confusion, observing how her cheeks reddened.

"N-nothing!" she looked away, embarrassed.

"Damn it's too hot to walk around in that shirt" Ed complained, looking at the uniform in disdain.

„W-well…you know…you could just walk without a shirt on…the shirt doesn't even fit you, it's a number or two smaller than you…can't believe I would ever say that," Winry giggled, a light blush covering her cheeks.

Edward, being ever the attentive and clever guy, of course only heard the bit concerning his size, "Oi! What do ya wanna say with that? Course I grew! Now that Al's back to normal, I grow normally! You implyin' something there?" he shot her a dirty look.

"Yeah right, stop being stupid! I just said you d-don't need a shirt…since…since it's so hot outside!" Winry's blush only grew brighter.

"Fine, I need to fix the roof anyway," Ed was about to open the door before Winry's hand suddenly shot out and gripped his wrist firmly.

"WHAT HE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING EDWARD?!" Winry screamed at him, her face red, whether from anger or embarrassment she herself couldn't quite tell.

"WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M DOING?! I'm going outside to fix the roof!" he fumed, he still got so easily irritated by the woman even as an adult, it was a miracle how they didn't end up strangling each-other… _yet_.

"Y-y-you can't go out like this! Put on a shirt moron!" Winry was _very_ tempted to throw her wench at him, but unfortunately it was down at her work desk.

Ed cocked his head to the side, scratching his neck in confusion, "Why? It's hot and my shirt's just gonna get soaked till I'm through with the roof," he shrugged, his muscles bulging slightly from the movement.

Winry could feel her eyes drawn to the action, before she stubbornly averted her gaze, "Ugh, you can't just run around half naked! We have neighbors ya know?!" and then Winry remembered.

Oh, oh.

She just remembered all the women in Resembool had suddenly, at least ever since he got back from his long journey and staying to live in the Rockbell home, grown a weird attraction towards him.

Whenever Ed would accompany her to town in order to buy groceries and other necessities for the house, most women were whispering in hushed voices about how tall Ed had gotten, or how handsome and how he was working out…etc.

In Winry's opinion, the worst of them were the bold ones. They usually directly approached them and obviously flirted with Edward, which in turn made Winry instinctively search for her trusty wench, too bad she never brought it with her to town, she would have to reconsider…

Though, much to Winry's secret relief, Ed was either too oblivious to notice their advances or he simply wasn't interested, he usually politely rejected them or simply said they didn't have time and that Ed would listen to what they had to say later.

Thankfully, that later never came.

"Neighbors? You call ole' Mr. Peabrain and Miss Catlady neighbors?" he laughed, his abdominal muscles contracting and relaxing. Winry tried hard not to let her eyes wander.

" Don't call them that Ed! I told you countless of times it's rude to call people nicknames! Besides, they are _not_ our only neighbors! You will give these poor people heart attacks when they see you working on the roof shirtless!" Winry rested her hands on her hips, a pout on her lips.

Edward blinked, "Huh? Why? Oh…" he suddenly looked embarrassed, ashamed…he instinctively traced the scars where his shoulder meets his arm, still lined with some bolts from where he used to have his automail attached.

Winry suddenly felt terrible, very terrible.

"Oh no, Ed! I-I didn't mean that! I-I…" her lips were quivering, trying not to tell him the truth but it just blurted out of her mouth, "I-I just don't w-want other w-women to see you half naked alright!?" her face was beet red, her eyes tightly shut in order not to look into his face and see his reaction.

Oh god…he would surely laugh at her, tell her she was crazy and that he didn't like her that way…

Winry had expected to hear him laughing, poking fun at her, _anything_. What she didn't expect though, was the rustling of clothes.

Winry opened her eyes hesitantly, they shot fully open when she noticed Ed rummaging through his drawers, fishing out a navy blue shirt.

He pulled it over his head wordlessly, thankfully it was sleeves so it would grant him at least a little freedom and function as a air conditioner to prevent him from completely sweating like a pig.

When Edward turned around to face Winry again, he was met with her speechless, surprised expression. He blinked, a light rosy blush dusting his cheeks, "W-what?" he looked away for a split second, before again meeting her gaze.

This time, he rested his hands on his trim hips, "What now? Still not satisfied? Should I wear a winter jacket?" he lightly teased, hoping to infuriate Winry to lift the awkward atmosphere. No such thing happened.

Winry was still in shock.

Worriedly, Ed cautiously approached her, "Uh, hey, Win?" he waved his hand in front of her face a few times, before snapping his fingers once. That seemed to do the trick.

"H-H-huh? E-Ed…."she blinked, a adorable blush covering almost her entire face, "W-why…why did you pull on a s-shirt?"

He blinked, tilting his head to the side like Den when she sometimes didn't understand what Pinako or Winry told her to do, "Whatcha mean? You just said you didn't like it when other women see me shirtless, so I pulled on a shirt. Ya happy now?" he looked at her expectantly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Winry was speechless again, the blush reaching all the way down to her neck.

"Or don't you care that I don't wear a shirt outside?" Ed suddenly asked, moving closer to Winry with a small smirk.

Had he seen through her?

"I-I-I a-already said what I think about that!" Winry tried hard not to look at the exposed bits and pieces of skin exposed by the shirt, most notably his bare arms and collarbone.

Edward grinned like the devil, leaning in close to Winry, whispering in a low voice, "Heh, if that's so then I'll follow the lady's request." He was grinning all the way as he left Winry standing there, gaping like a fish.

Edward snickered to himself as he exited the house, breathing in the fresh air. He patted Den on her head on his way out, Alphonse was sitting on the chair on the balcony before he looked up at his brother.

While he was still thinner than he should be for his height and age, he looked considerably healthier than when Ed had brought his body back, back then he had looked like a walking skeleton.

Ed smiled at him, "Hey Al, wanna help me fix the roof?" his younger brother smiled and nodded, standing up.

"Don't worry, you'll just pass me the nails and tools, you won't actually get to do much," Ed winked, patting his brother's shoulder. Al chuckled.

"Come on Ed, I'm feeling fine. I'm healthy again and I can do physical labor, in fact, I have to. I can't look like a walking skeleton all the time after all," he laughed, his smile widening.

Ed chuckled, "Oho, working out for Mei huh?" the grin Ed wore rivaled the devil's as he playfully nudged his brother's ribs with his elbow. Al turned a bright shade of red in embarrassment.

"B-brother!" he covered his face in embarrassment, Ed just laughed harder at his little brother's reaction.

"By the way, why do you have those pants on brother? Aren't those from Roy?" he rose an eyebrow at the familiar, blue pants his older brother was wearing.

"Nah, don't know whose these are. I just found them in my closet the other day, I think I got them from the military when I became a State Alchemist but I can't remember," Ed scratched his chin, a thoughtful look on his face. Al shook his head at his brother's forgetfulness.

"I see. How comes you're wearing them now?"

"Well, Winry insisted I tried the uniform at least once. She has been oddly insistent on it so I did her a favor and tried it on. Though the shirt didn't really fit me, it's too small on my shoulders and chest and too short, it leaves my stomach open." He grinned sheepishly.

"Oh, that's right. You used to be shorter back then-"

"Yeah, yeah, who cares about that now. Let's get to work Al!" Ed was quick to cut his brother off before he started reminding him of his peanut size before. Though Ed didn't see the smirk Al was wearing.

"So, Winry wanted to badly see you in a uniform huh?" it was his turn to playfully tease his brother about his obvious love interest.

Ed's reaction was instant, "Aaaallllll! Stop making fun of me! I-It's not what you think alright?!" his ears and entire face turned bright red, he quickly turned his head and started reciting the periodic system at rapid speed, making Al chuckle in amusement.

He knew for a fact he only did that when he was heavily embarrassed and that only ever happened when a certain Rockbell girl was involved…

As the two brothers made their way towards the shed to gather the tools, with Den hot on their heels, Winry was leaning against the railing of the balcony on the first floor with a fond smile on her face.

"Well…maybe he is right after all," she rested her chin on top of her hands, a small blush on her cheeks," I don't want any other women seeing him like this, but me…" Winry sighed, blaming the redness on her face on the heat of the sun.

She would never admit it out loud but…

Maybe she was just a little jealous.

 **Done for now! Please review! Reviews are greatly appreciated! Write a review or PM me if you have any ideas for further one shots! Thanks! :D**


	3. The many Faces of Greed

Hey guys! I'm back! I heard you wanted a Greedling/Lan Fan one shot so here it is! Man do I love Greed ^_^

BTW: Let's all pretend that Greed didn't die after the battle with Father…pleeasseee I hated to see Greed dying so I gave the cocky bastard a chance at life again ;)

 **The many faces of Greed**

* * *

Greed had many faces to offer as Lan Fan, along with everyone else, soon discovered.

Greed the Avaricious, the Homunculus, was the embodiment of Father's greed, one of his "children" and yet he had defied him from the very beginning. Even as he was reborn once again, it did not take him long to once again disobey his Father and flee.

At the beginning, Greed was just like everyone pictured him, a greedy bastard with no care in the world except for money, power and women. But after his fight with Edward Elric and him being reborn inside of prince Ling Yao, he had changed, drastically one might say.

Greed always had a foul mouth, he never missed an opportunity to annoy the hell out of Ed or anyone for that matter, especially Ling. The man was known to brag about his Ultimate Shield, being able to convert it into the strongest form of carbon, diamond and at the same time the most fragile, graphite.

Other times, when the situation was serious and the jokes were cast aside, Greed was offering surprisingly thought out, wise words. Like the time before the Promised Day, where the older Elric brother had had a dispute with the Rockbell girl and Ed had come stomping out of the room like a raging bull.

Greed had offered his advice, hoping it did not fall on deaf ears, it seemed as if Elric had taken his words to heart, because the next morning before they departed to the big battle, the Rockbell girl had waved at them goodbye, a satisfied smile on her face.

Oh, that had been a _great_ opportunity to tease Edward as well, saying things like ' _Hoho, that Rockbell girl sure looked all smiles this morning, I didn't see ya leaving her room either. Is there something I should know?', 'Heh, judging from her dazed smile I would say she still felt that in the morning.', 'For her sake, I hope you ain't as small in bed as your height used to be, if ya like I would gladly jump in and take your place for the nights with her,'_ that last comment had earned Greed a solid, admittedly painful upper cut to the jaw, with the _automail_ hand.

Greed had been damn glad he had rapid healing powers if not…well…let's just say Ling would kill him for dislocating his – _their_ – jaw.

Greed was also funny, most of the time, the guy had a good sense of humor. Sometimes it was uncalled for, other times it was crude and perverted and again other times even kids were safe to laugh at his jokes, a rare occurrence indeed.

Though the more…explicit jokes never failed to make Al blush crazy, some of them even made El blush and that way saying something, though only when they involved Winry.

One time Winry had asked him if he was ever going to settle down, find a woman and perhaps have a family. Greed had laughed at her face, telling her she should as Ling for that, since he " _didn't yet get permission to bend over Lan Fan and-"_ he had never finished that sentence because Lan Fan herself, with a burning blush, kicked Greed between his legs as hard as she could, sending the perverted Homunculus flying.

Ed had whistled at how high the heavy man could fly, though he was disappointed to see him, with binoculars, grinning with his arms crossed, obviously not affected by the below-the-belt hit. Ed could only conclude the man had quickly covered his most prized possession with his ultimate shield, that, or he had nerves of steel.

When Ling retired to sleep and at times, let Greed have free reign over his body, Greed was the most happy. Especially when he was alone with Lan Fan.

Contrary to popular belief, that the Homunculus would do perverted things to the ninja or at least attempt them before getting himself a kick between the legs again, Greed was surprisingly sweet and gentle with her. He would offer to take her for a walk, eat someplace or just sit outside of the Elric-Rockbell home and enjoy the quiet night, with Lan Fan wrapped securely in his strong arms.

Lan Fan knew that at such quiet moments where it was just the two of them, his real personality would surface. None of these facades he would usually put up, though each of them were also a small part of his real self, otherwise he wouldn't be Greed, but this was when he was the most honest.

He wasn't sappy, telling her how much he loved and adored her, that wasn't his style. Instead, the two would remain in silence for most of the time, joke around or talk about their day. Lan Fan knew his feelings, as well as Ling's, so there was no need for sappy love confessions.

Though sometimes, Greed's hands would wander, and Lan Fan's kunai would wander too. It was enough for Greed as long as he copped a feel from time to time, though it made Lan Fan furious, he also knew she enjoyed it.

He had women running after him, fanning over him and fanning themselves, in his past life, when he had wanted nothing but money, women and power, he would have accepted their advances and encouraged them, but he was another man now. He didn't care about women, unless it was Lan Fan, though he loved riling her up, so at times, he would use a clever combination of words and his deep voice to make her think he was flirting with another woman, where in reality he was just asking for the price of their food.

Ed could remember a time when Greed had been very sad and angry at himself, mourning for the loss of Fu after Wrath had killed him. It hadn't only hit the prince hard, but Greed as well. His guilt had been running especially deep after Lan Fan saved him from falling to his certain death with Wrath, where the blood from where her automail was straining seeped through and a few droplets fell on his cheeks, along with her tears.

The tears were the worst. Greed may be crude, perverted and many other things but among them he respected women. He never engaged them in a fight, hell he didn't even kick Lust's ass even if he badly had wanted to, he never treated them as play things, which many people believed him to do just that, and he absolutely _hated_ it when they cried.

When Winry had cried because Ed had said something insensitive again and stomped outside to cool off, Greed had sat down with Winry, after beating up Ed of course, and offered her a tissue and a shoulder to cry on. With his advice and his jokes afterwards he had seen it as a mission complete when Winry would laugh and thank him with a kiss on his cheek.

He would be surprised, no matter how many times she did that, and even feel shy, though he would only admit that over his dead Homunculus body. Ling would always tease him later for secretly being a softie.

Greed would shout his head off and curse some more before hunting down Edward and beating him up again. The man had to vent somehow after all.

But the one thing that never failed to make Greed shed tears…was the memory of how Fu died.

He remembered it so vividly and he still had nightmares occasionally, something he blamed Ling for, but he knew, deep down, it was also him who was suffering.

The old man had grown on him, as short as their interactions had been, when the old man came to save him he had been relieved. He felt a pang in his heart when Fu had said he only rescued him to save Ling, but when their strenuous battle had reached its climax, the old man had admitted that it hadn't only been Ling, but also Greed, he had wanted to protect.

That had melted and destroyed the Homunculus' heart, if he had any at all.

When Lan Fan had held onto his arm with her automail, to ensure he wouldn't fall to his death with Wrath, he had wanted to cry himself. The feeling of the warm, thick drops of crimson liquid against his cheek, Lan Fan's blood, had sent tremors up his spine, caused bile to rise in his throat.

She had been bleeding, because of _him_. Because of his incompetent ass, the next thing that had made him visibly shake were her tears. The single tear that had squeezed out of her eyes and found its way to land on his cheek. His fury at Wrath had increased, his fury at the man that created him increased a thousand fold, his fury at _himself_ was unbearable.

In the same evening after they were finished mourning for the deaths that occurred, including Fu's and Buccaneer's, Greed had retreated to deep in the forest that had surrounded them. When he was sure he was far enough and that Ling was asleep, he released a torn, broken cry into the night air. He poured his soul into that roar, releasing all his feelings of anger, betrayal, _pain_ and suffering. The events of the past few hours replaying in his head like a movie, he clutched his head, wanted to split his skull apart, but knew it would alert Ling, so he didn't.

Instead, he opted to let his anger out on the nearby trees, bring down tree after tree, he continued his merciless massacre until he could no longer move, panting heavily on the ground, looking up at the dark sky and wondering why he was alive and not the old man.

He, the embodiment of greed itself, a filthy Homunculus. Old man Fu, a kind hearted, strict, protective grandfather to Lan Fan and a guardian and dear friend to Ling. Greed regretted not pulling Wrath with him up the wall and shredding his body and Philosopher's Stone to pieces.

His screams of agony would have at least entertained him for a little while, maybe even make him feel that Fu's death hadn't been for naught. But either way, it hadn't, he knew.

With the memories still in front of his mind's eye, he let the screams of agony, his own screams, consume him until his throat burned and he fell into a exhausted, dreamless sleep.

When Lan Fan had went to investigate from where the ear splitting screams had come from, she was surprised to find _Greed_ passed out on the floor, surrounded by countless of what she assumed once had been trees, now turned to nothing but splinters, with visible tear tracks on his cheeks and his face twisted into a expression of agony.

Greed was many things.

But he certainly wasn't a bad person. He had been the only Homunculi that was the most human-like, the one with the most emotions and most honorable deeds in his second life.

The one who would give his life without a thought as a sacrifice to save someone he loved.

Phew….done for now! **PLEASE** tell me what you liked and not! Should I change it? Should I continue writing these one shots? I'm not sure if I'm too good at writing FMA one shots….


	4. His Lieutenant Through Hell and Back

**BACK!** I just wanted to thank everyone who reads my one shots (so far) and reviewed them and offered their opinions! :D Thanks so much!

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:** **Anonymous J:** Heh, I like your username ^_^ Thanks for your feedback, I was so nervous that I made the characters too OOC since it _has_ been a long time watching FMA or FMAB at all. Your review seriously boosted up my spirit! Thanks soo MUCH! :3

 **Onepieceofcake:** You were my first follower and one of the first people to read my one shots! Thank you so much for reading reviewing them, really, it makes me think they aren't half bad haha. I always loved Greed and I had been disappointed that they killed him in the end, it really wouldn't have been bad if he had been the only Homunculus that survived.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot, Fullmetal Alchemist and all the characters/names of places…etc. belong to their rightful owners!**

 **Well, then, on with the story ne? I think some of you may like this pairing (including me)!**

* * *

 **His Lieutenant Through Hell and Back**

Roy Mustang sighed heavily, leaning back against his, or rather Riza's, pillow. The eye patch he was still forced to wear irritated him to no end, especially since it obscured much of his view.

He clenched his fist, looking at it grimly, the memories, still oh so fresh in his mind, were starting to resurface.

After he was released from the hospital Riza had immediately insisted he stayed with her, where she could "keep an eye on him and keep him out of trouble". He had chuckled at that, following her without hesitation. Black Hayate had been happy to see Roy again, the little canine had kept him company when Riza was away on short periods of time.

Those times, Roy secretly fed Hayate some chocolate he had found in one of his Lieutenants cabinets, if Hayate would have been a human, Roy was sure he would be grinning from ear to ear and munching happily on his chocolate.

Those moments kept him happy and content, but then…everything would turn downhill when she wasn't near him.

She kept his demons away, the demons from Ishval, the demons that had followed him like a shadow throughout his military career, before she had been appointed to his side, the ones when he was laying in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking of all the lives lost and what he had been forced to do to accomplish where he was now.

If he could call that some accomplishment.

After the battle with Father and the Homunculi, Marcoh had used a Philosopher's Stone to regain his eyesight back, something Roy would be forever grateful to the old man. Though that eye patch still annoyed him…

He sighed, eyeing the telephone close to him on the night desk. He was bored…Riza wasn't home yet, Hayate was sleeping on his lap…

"Hello?" the deep, all too familiar male voice answered on the other line and Roy smirked.

"Fullmetal, how have you been?" Roy could heard another familiar, but female voice mutter something in the background.

" _Mustang, how comes you're calling? Did you get wet again and need me to help with boiling tea_?" Roy felt his nerves immediately stand on end, even after all this time, the elder Elric brother _still_ got on his nerves like no other.

" _Yeah, it's Mustang Winry, oh Winry says hi!_ " Edward added, no doubt grinning like an idiot.

"Greet her back from me. Actually, I called to see how you're fairing without alchemy at your disposal, I assume you have to do _real_ work now don't you?" he smirked widely when he heard the string of curses followed by a loud, enraged roar.

" _Why_ _you_ -" again, what Mustang assumed was Winry's voice, scolded Edward into submission and the former State Alchemist muttered," _Ahem…right…how are your eyes? I heard you were at Hawkeye's home now,_ " Roy was _sure_ Ed was grinning like the devil he secretly was.

Roy rubbed his forehead, maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to call the Elrics-Rockbells…then again, at least he had got some form of entertainment.

"Yes, temporarily that is. She insisted I stayed with her until I recover fully, I can see good again but I still have to wear the eye patch," he paused, "Say Fullmetal...how is Alphonse doing? Now that he regained his body back it must be difficult for him to do much of anything,"

Roy remembered how skinny, pale and fragile the younger Elric looked when Roy had come to visit him in the hospital after his eyesight was restored, he had looked like a skeleton, though months have passed since he had last seen them so he was curious.

A sigh escaped Edward, " _Actually, he regained some of his weight, though he still gets exhausted after walking for a few minutes so he's mostly laying in bed all day and reading. Winry's been shoving food down his throat all the time, I'm surprised how Al hasn't gotten fat already. Well, as fat as you that is,"_ Edward teased playfully, though Mustang heard him yelp in pain, muttering an apology and he could only assume that Winry had thrown her wrench at him again.

Roy frowned and slowly looked down at himself, lifting his shirt up a little to expose his abdominals, while by no means fat, he _had_ gained some weight, but not enough to hide the prominent muscles on his stomach, chest and arms.

Roy snorted, "I see, good for him then, greet Alphonse from me too. Fullmetal, don't make me calculate how many apple pies you have been shoving down _your_ throat the past weeks," he smirked, he knew for a fact that Edward loved Winry's apple pies and had never refused one. Though he had always been a glutton.

" _T-that, that, I haven't!_ " Ed roared, enraged at the implication he was fat from Mustang, before Roy heard a loud thump, a pained yelp and then a sweet voice asking him through the receiver, " _Hi there Mustang! I'm so sorry about Ed, I'm still training him to be polite to people,"_ another protest sounded from Ed, but it quickly died down when Roy assumed Winry had sent him a glare.

Roy chuckled, "It's alright, Fullmetal and I have that kind of relationship I suppose. How are you dear? Surely it must be difficult with them, especially the runt," Winry giggled at Mustang's description of Ed's former shortness.

" _Oh well, I'm fine really, working the shop as usual with Granny. Al's alright and behaves himself but Ed…he's still the same as ever. How is Riza doing? Is she there?"_ Roy could her how excited Winry was at talking to Riza again after so long, he was sorry to disappoint her.

"I'm afraid not, Winry. She has been out to get groceries and visit Havoc briefly, she is doing alright, taking care of me as I am," he chuckled lowly, though humorlessly.

" _Mustang…don't worry about that, Riza is doing that because she cares and wants to. I suggest you enjoy it while you can, alright?"_ Winry's relaxed, chirpy voice brought a smile to Mustang's face.

"I will be sure to. Say, is Edward doing his duties right as your fiancé?" Mustang couldn't hide that devilish smirk even if he wanted to, it was a good thing he wasn't physically there, he was sure Edward would try to kill him.

" _Yes, of course! He is mowing the lawn, even doing the laundry, helps repair the roof-"_ Mustang's smirk widened, such young innocence.

"No, no, not that. I meant his duties in the bedroom, of course!" he didn't particularly like to tease the poor Rockbell girl like this, he liked her, but he just couldn't miss _that_ opportunity.

" _B-B-bedroom?! H-h-h-he-"_ there was a sudden silence, he could hear Ed asking what he had said to his fiancée, before all hell broke loose," _MUSTANG! I'LL PERSONALLY COME TO CENTRAL AND SHOVE MY WRENCH SO FAR UP YOUR-"_ but she was interrupted, by none other than Ed.

Mustang was surprised by Winry's violent reaction, they didn't interact much, at least not in the old days, but she had never reacted violent except toward Edward and Al. This was a nice surprise, indeed.

" _YOU GOOD-FOR-NOTHING STUCK UP PERVERT! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST ASK MY FIANCEE?! I'LL THROW YOUR BURNT ASS INTO THE RAIN AND BEAT YOU UP WITH A STICK IF I HAVE TO!"_ Ahhh, the good old anger tantrums, Mustang had missed them a bit.

Ever since Ed had grown – he hated to admit it – into a man, they became less frequent. If someone _did_ anger him, Edward would shoot a verbal, well thought out insult right back, controlled and his anger hidden under a mask of cool indifference. It annoyed Mustang, it was harder to rile Fullmetal up.

 _However_ , if he pulled stunts like he did earlier, that _never_ failed to make the former alchemist's blood boil and lung at him like a raging wolf looking to tear his throat apart.

The surprisingly calm words he heard through the receiver startled Mustang out of his musings, "-not anymore,"

"Excuse me? Apologies, I've been lost in thought," Mustang was genuine and maybe that was why Ed didn't grow angry at his lack of attention.

"I said, I'm not an alchemist anymore, nor am I a dog of the military, so you can stop calling me Fullmetal, Colonel,"

Roy smirked, "Well then, I'm no Colonel anymore, you can stop calling me Colonel as well, Fullmetal,"

"I told you to-"

"The first thing I heard about you wasn't your name, it was about your talent and the nickname that marked your impressive progress among alchemists. Even then, at your young age, you've been respected and well known. The day I stop calling you Fullmetal, is the day where hell freezes over, because it's a important part of you, you shouldn't forget, even if you do have a family," Roy's smile was soft as he said this, though Edward couldn't see it.

"….I-I see…Thank you…Colonel Mustang," Roy smirked, against his will his heart tightened at the soft, warm words Edward spoke. It were just ranks, nicknames…but it was part of their friendship.

"See you around, come by and stop for pie! We may visit you once business isn't so thriving," Roy smiled, his eyes closed.

"I'll be expecting you Fullmetal, with a pink child's chair especially for you," he hoped to rile him up a last time.

"Guess I'm too big for that chair now huh Colonel?" and he hung up as a goodbye, both him and Roy at the same time.

Roy looked at the telephone with a fond smile, "I guess you're right…" he whispered, the fond smile in place.

And then, Riza unlocked the door and came inside, Black Hayate barking happily at his owner's arrival.

Riza shouted a greeting from the kitchen as she put away the groceries, before she walked inside her bedroom to see Ryou.

"I'm sorry it took so long, Havoc was incredibly chatty. I would be too if I were to be confined to bed rest for so long." She noticed how her former superior was smiling fondly, seemingly at nothing.

"Colonel?" Roy lifted his head to regard Riza's concerned expression, "Is everything alright?"

"Roy," Riza's eyes widened slightly, "And yes…everything is just fine…Riza."

* * *

Edward slowly approached the bed, his eyes puffy and red, his jaw set tight, his hands clenched into tight fists. He wished this wouldn't be happening, it _couldn't_ be happening. Not yet, not here, not now…

He blinked back hot tears as his former commanding Colonel regarded him, the light in his eyes diminishing, slowly but surely. His once young, fit, battled hardened body looked so…fragile now, as if he would be swept away by a single punch alone. Not skinny, but his muscles had slackened from lack of use in the past few years of his old age.

Riza was gripping his hand tightly, fighting back stubborn tears, sitting on the other side of his bed, their bed.

Everyone else was gathered around as well, Alphonse, Mei, their little daughter at their side, too young to comprehend what was happening, Ling was petting the girl's head soothingly, Ed's son and daughter were clutching their mother's hands tightly, Havoc, Breda and everyone who was closely affiliated with both Roy and Riza had come over as well.

To pay their final respects.

"Edward…" Roy's once deep, strong voice was now barely above a whisper, it was too draining to talk but he would endure it, it was important.

His name, coming from Roy's lips, almost made Ed's heart stop. He couldn't stop his tears anymore, "Damn it, Mustang! You said you would stop calling me "Fullmetal" when hell freezes over!" the tears were running down his cheeks, dropping onto Roy's wrinkled hand.

The former Colonel's eyes softened and he placed a hand on top of the adult runt he had grown attached to over the years of knowing him, "Heh, I guess it will once I'm on my way to hell won't it?" he smiled, feeling his energy falling rapidly.

"God damn it! Hold on will ya?! Mei and Al can use Alkahestry! You'll be as good as new! You'll be calling me a runt in no time!" Al stepped forward, resting a heavy hand on his brother's broad shoulder, Edward shook, shaking his head. Winry shed tears as well, holding tightly onto her crying children.

"Don't bother, it's alright. What good would it be if I lived any longer than I already did?" Roy smiled when he looked at his grown son, who stood next to his mother, tears streaming down his face but willing himself to be strong for his mother's sake.

"Maes…" his son leaned forward, kneeling by his father's deathbed, "My son…you always made me proud, listen to your mother or she will shoot you like she had done with Hayate…" he smiled at his wife and son warmly.

Riza's grip on his arm tightened, she didn't want to let go, not yet.

"Dad…" Maes sniffed, rubbing at his eyes furiously, "I-I'll follow my dreams like you told me! I won't stray from my path! I'll live as a free man and not like a dog bound by chains!" Roy smiled softly.

"That's all….I wanted Maes…" Roy returned his attention to Ed, one of his oldest friends, "Edward, you make sure those children of yours grow up nicely alright? Keep them safe," Edward's golden gaze penetrated him, his eyes burned with the same fire Roy's had in his youth.

Ed nodded, clasping his hand tightly," I will, I promise you that." He paused before he smiled warmly, "You just wait in hell for me alright? We will turn the place upside down!" he grinned, the trademark Elric grin even Edward's son had inherited.

Roy Mustang smiled for the last time, the last thing he saw in the world of the living was his wife, his beautiful, strong Riza, crying with a small smile on her face, as if to say " _I'll follow you to the end"_ , his son who was crying for his father, the tearful faces of his old friends from the military, the whole bunch of the Elric family, Edward's wide, warm grin…

He died peacefully.

* * *

Roy had expected to land in hell for all the things he did wrong in his life, however he was surprised to almost be blinded by a white light. Then he saw a familiar hand extending towards him.

When Roy followed the hand up the length of a strong arm and to the body of its owner, Roy knew who it was.

Roy blinked back tears, "Hughes…" Maes Hughes grinned warmly at him, dressed in a plain white dress shirt and black pants. He hadn't aged a day since his death.

"Ain't this a surprise. I thought you would never come here! I was waiting for a long time you know?"he noticed his oldest, closest friend fighting back tears stubbornly, "Hey now, you know water makes you useless," he grinned.

Roy furiously rubbed away the tears and smiled, firmly grabbing his friend's hand, "Sorry, I'm late, I still had some things to take care of,"

Hughes nodded, grinning happily, Roy returned his grin.

"Let's turn this place upside down, shall we?"

The end for this one shot! God the feels….I actually didn't intend for it to end like this but I changed my mind. Hope everyone enjoyed it! **Reviews** are VERY welcome here! Thanks! **Further** ideas for future chapters are welcome!


	5. Sins vs Virtues

Hey there guys! I'm back! Hope I'm not updating too often and too soon! ^^ I actually wanted to update **earlier** but I've been kept busy because it was my birthday I didn't have the opportunity to go to the computer till now .

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Sins vs Virtues**

Greed growled lowly under his breath, scrutinizing the man, his _counterpart_ , in front of him. He was approximately the same height as Greed, similarly built, strong and he looked like he would train regularly, but what absolutely annoyed the living daylights out of Greed was that the man constantly wore _white_. Not to mention his far too generous personality.

Figures, his counterpart _was_ after all Charity. Ugh…out of all the bad things in life…

"Why the hell are ya grinning like that for?" Greed snarled, crossing his muscled arms over his chest, glaring darkly at Charity.

"Nothing at all Greed. Just look how happy everyone is, I do hope the apples I picked were to their liking," Charity smiled kindly, his blue eyes a stark contrast to Greed's violet, at times seemingly red, ones.

"Tch…yeah, yeah I get it you're a freaking saint and I'm a demon's spawn. Now give me that damn basket already!" Greed violently grabbed the basket, filled with apples, to claim it for himself. Charity's face fell slightly but he made no move to take it back, if Greed wanted it he could have it.

"So…ever went out on any dates?" Lust asked in a vain attempt to start a conversation. With _Chastity_ of all virtues. This could be a _long_ conversation.

"Excuse me? Dates? I'm sorry but I don't even have a boyfriend or a husband! Don't tell me you…you know….went on dates?" Chastity's voice was quiet, slightly shy.

Lust's grin was seductive and devilish as her namesake suggested, "Ohh, my dear Chastity, I've done far more than just gone out on dates," she winked, examining her long, deadly nails in amusement.

"H-how improper! You don't even wear a ring on your finger!" Chastity's eyes widened in horror, her hands cupping her mouth, before she ultimately fainted.

Lust sighed heavily, watching the younger woman in mild disgust, she was overdressed, the complete opposite of Lust. And she had that "goodie two shoes" aura about her.

Sloth watched with empty eyes as his partner Lust sighed in boredom, before he returned his attention to the energetic _child_ in front of him. He didn't want to work…he just wanted to sleep…

Diligence…he was quite the opposite of Sloth himself…energetic, talkative, friendly, scrawny and rather short, still just a child. Oh and he _loved_ doing work above all else. Sloth scratched his head.

"Hey Sloth! You wanna play with me? Come on! Don't be such a lazy bum!" the child laughed in joy, running and jumping around. When Diligence turned back around again, he fell to the floor face first when he saw Sloth leaning against a tree, fast asleep, drool running down the side of his mouth.

He sighed heavily, shaking his head before he spotted Den and started chasing her as the dog barked.

Gluttony couldn't cope with his….partner…no this wasn't his partner it was…his playmate? The virtue, his exact opposite, Temperance was a pain in the ass. Whenever Gluttony attempted to eat something, or _someone_ Temperance would always interfere and tell him how he had no restraint.

Gluttony would absolutely agree, then try to swallow _him_ but it was no use, Temperance was far stronger than Gluttony, as well as tall, thin and handsome, everything Gluttony wasn't. And Lust had commanded him not to eat the virtue so Gluttony didn't attempt it again. However, Lust would always attempt to flirt with Temperance, but surprisingly, Chastity was quite…protective of him. They were a couple, apparently, and that didn't sit well with Lust at all.

It wasn't that she was jealous, she just thought it was a good opportunity wasted. She could have so much fun with him…if only his self control wasn't as strong as Gluttony's hunger. Did she mention he was as loyal as a dog? She could only glare at Chastity how they were innocently holding hands, eating apples, talking about the world and shit like that.

Lust had to admit, the men on the other side, the virtues, were far more attractive than the ones among the Homunculi. Sloth…while he had a impressive physique, he was far too bulky for her taste and dim witted, Gluttony wasn't even a candidate as he was more a brother to her than anything else, one she had to babysit frequently…

Envy…they were still trying to figure out what gender it was, not to mention it looked like a brat. Wrath…well… _that_ was a real man…in the body of Bradley…too bad he was willingly married. And Pride…he was a child, though she suspected if he would so choose he would be a handsome man…

And then there was Greed…oh how alone the vision of him, whether coated in his Ultimate Shield or not, sent shivers up and down her spine. Unfortunately, he hated her guts, he may not raise a hand on her directly, but he would make his intense hatred to her clear by covering himself in his shield whenever she drew closer to him, he would always wear such a menacing expression that even Lust felt a twinge of fear deep in her…heart? Did she have a heart? No, deep in her philosopher's stone, yeah, that sounded right.

Did she mention he and that ninja girl who kept gibbering shit with "her lord" was his love interest? She wasn't sure if they were together or not, but alone the looks they sent each-other when they thought no one was looking offered enough evidence. Not to mention Greed's strong protectiveness of her.

Great…either the handsome men were taken or simply not there…Lust could just rip out her stone and then it would be all over. She sighed heavily in frustration.

Until she saw Envy bickering with Kindness. Envy was, what a surprise, quite envois of Kindness, since she was kind to everyone and everyone adored her. Envy almost ripped its hair out in frustration, insulting her and barking at her to back off. However, unlike the other virtues, the girl had spunk.

She insulted Envy right back, telling him to shut up and that he should learn to accept things like they were; she had friends, he didn't.

She was the only one who called Envy a "he", it intrigued the other Homunculi as well, did she know something as a virtue that they didn't? Did she figure out Envy's _true_ gender?

Envy's gender was one of the greatest mysteries in the world, even Edward seemed surprised and kept pointing to the skin-tight black outfit, which made Envy flush bright red and accuse him of being a sexist.

Greed did agree with the elder Elric a little bit…it wasn't his style to go prancing around in _tights_ , not exactly anyway, he liked to give his boys freedom, what Envy did, or if he even had boys, didn't interest him.

The interaction between Pride and Humility was slightly more controlled than with the others, but it did have its downs. Humility appeared as a tall, dark haired handsome man in comparison to Pride, who retained his child-like persona of Selim, the son of Bradley.

Unlike Pride, Humility only praised himself when necessary, not going overboard, merely stating the truth. He also generously praised others but not in a "trying-too-hard-way" rather in a kind, genuine way which even made Edward like him.

When Humility praised Edward for his strength after he had a sparring season with Greed, the Elric couldn't help but grin bashfully and scratch his head, stating how cool Humility was and that he liked him already.

Pride hadn't taken kindly to that, not at all in fact.

He had scoffed, tried to beat Humility up, send him flying, _anything_.

Humility loved teasing Pride to no end, which in turn only resulted in Pride's violent outbursts of rage. Greed had to intervene at one point to physically keep Pride away from Humility, the virtue could have handled himself but Pride had been particularly…angry.

Because of something Humility had said, it was concerning something along the lines of Pride's _pride_.

It went along something like this, " _Well, Pride, I'm surprised why you have the need to control such_ _ **large**_ _shadows around you. I've heard you were once a full grown man, but then chose this child form instead. Could it be that you were simply uncomfortable because your bodily proportions weren't all accustomed to the body of a grown male?"_

Yeah….Greed had to cover himself fully in the Ultimate Shield to prevent getting stabbed and slaughtered by Pride. The Homunculus was in the mood for killing, thirsting for Humility's blood. And Greed couldn't help but wonder if there was a twinge of truth in it, after all, why would Pride try to kill the virtue if it was just a lie?

As much as Greed would love to tease the Philosopher's Stone out of Pride, he was wise enough to keep his mouth shut about such things. He liked Humility, the guy was funny and had that teasing streak.

Until he said this, "Say Greed, perhaps you have a similar problem like Pride? I've heard you can convert carbon into its **hardest** form and cover your entire body with it. Though I can't help but wonder, do you use that ability as well in the bedroom when your most important part isn't in the right form of hardness you want it to be?"

All hell broke loose from then on. Greed had turned his whole body in his ultimate shield and immediately lunged at the virtue, repeatedly tearing him to shreds, only for them to regenerate just like his fellow Homunculi.

* * *

Hours passed until the seven virtues and their counterparts sat far away from each-other, sulking angrily like children.

Ed shook his head, Winry next to him who tried to analyze the situation.

Well, they had far more on their hands now that the seven virtues showed up. While the Homunculi were "evil" the virtues, though kind and on the "good" side, also had their flaws.

"Who do you like more?" Ed whispered to his wife quietly, to not alert the virtues and sins.

"From the virtues or Homunculi?" she rose an eyebrow

"Both," they looked at each-other for a split second before they nodded and both answered,

" **Greed** ,"

The greedy Homunculus may have caught on to what they were whispering about and only offered them a bright, devilish grin.

"Even though he's a greedy bastard,"

"He _is_ Greed after all," Ed only nodded at his wife's words.

Weeeelll….I hope this was good, the idea just popped into my mind, oh and I didn't include Wrath in this because I wanted him to stay dead, if anyone wants me to include him here then just tell me! I will edit the one shot! **Reviews** are always welcome! **Thanks for reading! BTW:** Next one shot is about Al! :D


	6. The Flashbacks that Follow

Hello everyone! Here is another chapter successfully done! :D

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:** **Anonymous J:** Thank you so muuuch! :3 haha Yeah, Greed hates Lust but since (all Greed/Ling fans let's be honest…he's hot ;) ) Greed's pretty good looking and Lust _does_ represent desire and lust (duh) I think her feelings were mixed, she may hate Greed but she's physically attracted to him, purely because of looks. Haha I planned on writing more Lan Fan&Greed (Ling) but I'm afraid I would get boring with the pair if I write too much about them (sweat drop)

 **1-800fangirl:** Hey there! :D Thank you so much for your review! Eheh (scratches head) thanks a lot for the compliment, I try to impress at least a little ;) It's amazing how reviews can brighten my mood ^_^

* * *

 **The Flashbacks that Follow**

Alphonse Elric sighed contently, slowly crawling into his bed, panting lightly from the activity.

He was still frail, far too thin for his age and height, but he was alive. And he had his body back. That was all that mattered. His brother got his arm back, Winry and him finally confessed their feelings to each-other, even if it did need a lot of persuading, not to mention Ed lamely confessed with using alchemy as metaphors.

Al shook his head, his big brother was like that, all about alchemy. It was like Winry with her automail, the "automail freak" as Ed loved to call her.

Al pulled the covers over his bony body and laid flat on his back, feeling air fill his lungs with each breath he took. It felt almost…weird.

He was _alive_. He was _breathing_. He could _move_ , while it may be limited, he could move nonetheless.

When he, or more precisely his body, had been trapped inside of the Gate of Truth, he didn't feel anything. No hunger, pain, sympathy, joy, anger, nothing. He had felt like he was in his armor again, while he was able to feel emotions, he wasn't able to feel the warmth of another human's hand. Or he wasn't able to sleep as his armor body couldn't exhaust itself, he hadn't felt hunger, nothing…

The first long months after Father's defeat, after the Promised Day, he had spent the whole day in the hospital, fed by tubes, he hadn't been allowed to eat any solid food until after he had gained a few pounds.

He remembered how difficult it was for him to fall asleep, since he had been so accustomed to the suit of armor he had inhabited for the entirety of his and Ed's journey, he sometimes didn't sleep at all at night, only to sleep during the day because his weak body was too exhausted to stay awake.

But now it was different, he still couldn't do hard physical labor but his condition had improved. While his bones were still far too visible, he had visibly gained some pounds, his hair looked far healthier, his skin looked healthier too and his eyes shone again with joy.

At times like these, where he couldn't sleep, Al thought back on his journey with his brother, what they had to go through, what they have lost, the _friends_ they have lost on their way of making the world a better place and regaining their bodies back…everything…

He sighed, staring at the ceiling.

Images popped into his mind, images of places, events, _people_.

All who they have lost, who died because of them.

An image of his mother appeared first and he smiled a bittersweet smile, he had visited her grave today along with Ed and Winry and Granny, her and their father's grave. Al had noted how, whenever Hohenheim was mentioned by anyone, Ed would call him "father" or "dad".

Not "him", "that guy,", "old bastard", "old man"…etc. but "dad".

They had all been sad when they saw Hohenheim had passed away, kneeling in front of Trisha's grave, a smile on his face. Al remembered how hard his brother had cried that night, after they buried him and gave him a proper funeral, with just them paying their respects. Of course, Ed had stayed out long, aimlessly walking around the house, farther away through the vast landscape of Resembool, but when he had returned, his cries of agony and pain could still be heard even when he tried muffling them with a pillow.

Al also remembered how Winry had walked into his room and comforted him that night, telling him he wasn't alone. Alphonse had wanted to be there for his brother too, but he also knew that Ed would berate himself if his little brother saw him as vulnerable as he had been then.

The image of his late mother was replaced by Hohenheim, while he didn't know him for long, and his memories of him were foggy and not clear, he had still felt connected to him, as father and son. Al knew Hohenheim had truly wanted to sacrifice himself in order to save him and Ed, he may have not been the best father out there, but he tried, he had tried making everything good again and that was all it counted.

A image of Mei Chang popped into his mind and he blushed, rubbing his face. The Elrics had often travelled to Xing, visiting the new Emperor, Ling Yao, and Mei, as well as Lan Fan and getting to know the culture in general.

Ling had been pretty depressed over Greed's death, he had often said that a big part of him, a part of his soul, was missing and that no matter what he did, he could, he _knew_ he would never be able to replace it.

Al had felt similar too, at least while he had been trapped to the suit of armor, he had felt empty too, though he had his brother, Winry, Colonel Mustang, Hawkeye and many more friends who made sure he was treated warmly, even while being nothing but a walking mass of metal.

More images of passed comrades he had encountered on his journey flashed through his mind, then an image of Greed appeared, while he had been in control of Ling's body, his second reincarnation.

Al hadn't interacted that much with him, but he had developed something of a sixth sense when it came to recognizing bad people, and Al had known from the start Greed hadn't been bad.

A Homunculus? Yes. The embodiment of Greed, one of the seven deadly sins themselves? Yes. But not bad.

It was like the deceased Homunculus had said, greed may not be good, but it wasn't so bad either. And that's what Greed had shown them all, Al included. At the beginning, with his first reincarnation, Greed was just that, greedy. Nothing else mattered to him than fame, power, fortune and ruling over the world.

But ever since taking over Ling's body, he had developed greatly. They had discovered, from Ling no less, that all he had ever wanted, _truly_ wanted, were friends, friends who stuck to each-other through thick and thin and who supported each-other, who he could trust and rely on.

Then images of Martel, Greed's first friends he had unknowingly made, appeared in his mind.

His eyes widened, his whole body started to shake and he felt bile rise in his constricting throat.

He opened his mouth, gasping for air desperately, gripping the bed sheets beneath him in order to hold onto _something_.

Pain wracked his skull strongly and he clutched his head in order to find some solace, he didn't.

The scene kept replaying over and over in his head.

What had happened that time…

When he had been kidnapped by Greed, when King Bradley, Wrath, had attacked them in the sewers, when Greed's henchmen had come to rescue them…

Martel had been inside his armor, screaming and frantically trying to get out when she had been forced to watch her friends being brutally murdered, no, _slaughtered_ before her very eyes.

Al could remember her screams of anguish and pain, her desperate attempts to claw her way out of his armor, he remembered how her fingers were bleeding from scratching at his rough, metallic armor, remembered her tears as they dripped onto the bottom of his armor…

He had felt the tremors overtaking her body, it had been anger at Wrath for killing her friends, soon anger turned to fear when the powerful Homunculus had approached them.

In a vain attempt to avenge her friends, Martel had taken control of Alphonse's body and attempted to strangle Bradley to death, unfortunately it had little to no effect at all on him.

The next thing that happened…Al would never, _could_ never forget.

Bradley had suddenly produced a long sword out of thin air, he brutally stuck in inside a gap of Al's armor, right beneath the helmet…

In the next minute, large amounts of blood had seeped through every possible hole in his armor.

Martel was dead…

Wrath had killed her…brutally so…

This had never happened before, Al had never been so close to seeing someone die, or even come close to dying himself, his big brother had always tried to shield his innocent, too pure eyes from world's cruelty, even his big brother had been overwhelmed by how cruel the world could really be at some points…

Alphonse would never forget that day, for as long as he lived.

This wasn't the first night he remembered it, rather one of many.

It had been the first time somebody died, inside of his armor no less. The armor, he thought, was supposed to protect her while he escaped as far as he could from Wrath, but instead it had secured her demise. With nowhere to escape, Wrath had had the perfect opportunity to kill her by precisely stabbing his sword in a gap in his armor and pierce her whole body with it.

Al had felt guilty ever since.

After he had been cleaned out, alchemically by Edward, he, like every day since his soul was confined in a suit of armor, couldn't sleep at all. His thoughts were coming back to that horrible event.

At times, especially now that he had his body back, he could still hear Martel's screams of pain until she choked on her own blood.

The flashbacks that followed were the worst. Sometimes, he would clutch his head as if in pain, trying to block out all those screams of agony and fear, but he knew he couldn't, he never could.

His sleep was always plagued by nightmares, most of the time, he would wake up drenched in a cold sweat, his brother and Winry at his side with wide, concerned eyes.

Ed knew what was happening with Alphonse, even if he never did directly admit it, he had them too.

The flashbacks.

It would be too cruel to say that Al was lucky for not experiencing the same things he did, seen the same things he did, _did_ the same things Edward was forced to do…

He was suffering too, Ed, Winry and Pinako would hear his screams every night, but they all knew they could do nothing about it.

They could offer a shoulder to cry on and a ear willing to listen, but that was all. They couldn't take away the memories, erase them from his mind, take away the pain that was inside his heart…

Nobody could.

The flashbacks would continue to come.

 **PLEASEEE REVIEW! I REALLY want to hear your opinions on this! BW: What should I write for the next one shot? Any ideas?**


	7. The Girl that knows Alkahestry

Yoo! Hope you guys are doing well! :D I've been in FMA-mood lately so that means frequent updates! Yeah! :3

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:** **Anonymous J:** Thanks again for the review, I love it when readers share their opinions about a story (that's what I try to do whenever I read a story that I like)! I rewatched the scene where that happened with Martel and I got such goose bumps o.o I decided to try and at least scratch the surface of what Al must have been feeling after he got his body back. Also: **OF COURSE** I'll respond to your reviews buddy! Haha I don't ignore a reader, no matter if it's a guest or user, your opinions matter to me equally! J

 **1-800fangirl:** (blushes and scratches neck) Aww, really? Thank you so much! :D haha I've also been browsing through some fanfics but I also didn't see any with Al being depressed over Martle's death so I decided to do one, after all, for _me_ it has been pretty traumatic o.O. Thanks again for the review :33 I feel inspired! Ah, Mei and Al huh? I can try to do that, though don't expect too much from me hehe, I'm not sure if I can write the pairing well .

 **Enjoy reading everyone! :D**

* * *

 **The Girl that knows Alkahestry**

Alkahestry, the arts of Purification, another form of Alchemy, yet it was very different from it.

Alphonse Elric has taken it upon himself to study it more closely, spending long periods of time in the land of Xing, visiting of course, Ling, the new emperor, Lan Fan and a certain princess.

Mei Chang had been a constant companion of Al's, she showed him their unique, yet to be closely explored culture, how they lived, how they used Alkahestry, how much their alchemy differs from Amestrian one and so forth.

Ed had visited a couple of times but chose to keep his visits short, after all, his _wife_ Winry was soon to give birth to their daughter. Al had already bought a gift for his future niece and Mei had been so kind as to buy a tome describing the arts of Alkahestry, five blades wrapped in silk cloth and for the baby some clothes, kimonos of fine silk and a few toys to play with when she was older.

Ah, did he mention the brand new, tool box with the newest tools on the field she bought for Winry? He was sure Winry would have stars in her eyes when she would see that.

* * *

Al was walking towards the emperor's or rather Ling's chambers, he wanted to ask him when they would be departing the coming morning.

In a flash, a kunai and a very sharp looking piece of automail filled his vision the second he opened the door, thankfully, he had long since gotten used to the sight. In the beginning he would nearly pee himself and scream out like a girl when that would happen.

"Hi Lan Fan," he greeted the warrior and personal body guard, as well as wife of the one and only Ling Yao warmly, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.

The woman, clad in her trademark yet slightly modified armor, immediately retracted her weapons and bashfully bowed, deeply to the waist, "I'm so sorry Alphonse, please forgive me if my greeting has startled you, I had not known it was you at the door,"

The amused chuckle and grin Ling shot him suggested Lan Fan actually _did_ know he had been knocking. Lan Fan was an expert at detecting whether it be someone's chi or sounds she hears from her surroundings, she is better than Ling himself. She could easily distinguish between different people's footsteps; their height, weight and possibly gender as well as any characteristic style of walking.

He knew for a fact Lan Fan, aside from her serious and alert persona, also had a humorous side to her, at times it scared both the Elric brothers but he supposed she showed how comfortable she was with someone if she pulled pranks like these on them.

"Um, it's a-alright! Please, you don't need to bow! I'm intruding after all," he laughed awkwardly, not missing the way Ling had been quickly fastening his haori when Al had attempted to enter his chamber. He shook his head, those things were only to remain in the bedroom, and _only_ in the bedroom.

He had enough nightmare material from Ed and Winry, his brother and childhood friend and at one point crush, to provide him with for a lifetime or two.

"Well, to answer your earlier question, we will depart at 6 sharp, I expect you to be ready by then, after all, we wouldn't want to miss a chance to see Ed freaking out over being a father again right?" Ling grinned, laughing when Al just scratched the back of his neck and laughed with him, even Lan Fan released a few amused giggles behind her hand.

"Yeah, you're right. Say, did you see Mei by chance? I was searching for her earlier but she wasn't at home and I can't seem to find her anywhere," the question was innocent, but of course, Ling was known to twist people's, in particular the Elrics, words into something dirty.

"Ohh? Searching for Mei huh? Well, thanks to me being Emperor now, I enforced a new law where the marriage traditions aren't as strict, though many people still follow the old tradition of waiting with their union until wearing rings. However, I don't think Mei will mind much if you-" Ling was interrupted by a well-placed kick to the side of his head.

Lan Fan would have easily blocked the kick, but instead she smiled in amusement at none other than Mei herself, no doubt having sneaked in Ling's chambers again, and having overheard Ling's teasing.

"Ugh, can you never _not_ speak in my name when I'm not present Ling? And besides, as if I would ever say such things!" she snorted, a blush on her face as she kicked her cousin for good measure.

Al was just sweating buckets and blushing furiously, "H-hello M-Mei," he felt like a child again suddenly, having a crush on a pretty girl.

Mei looked up at him and smiled brightly, "Alphonse! I haven't seen you in so long!" she dashed up to him, now grown quite a bit taller with womanly curves, curves Al tried hard to ignore as she hugged him tightly.

"Didn't you see him three days ago at the festival?" Ling chose to add his comment, getting a sandal in his face for his dry retort.

"Anyway! When will we finally go and see Winry and Edward? I have so many presents for them, as well as for the little ones!" she smiled brightly, Xiao Mei on her shoulder rumbling softly in happiness.

The panda had grown slightly but not much, it was actually barely noticeable to someone who didn't spend an extensive time with Mei to notice it.

A rosy blush unwillingly made itself known on Al's face and stayed there for the rest of the night and well into the journey to Amestris and to Resembool.

* * *

Winry hadn't been kidding when she said her son was just like his father – a real troublemaker, very stubborn, sensitive about his height, even though that was normal for his age and not forget very curious about the world, often going "exploring" when his parents' every watchful weren't momentarily on him.

He had ventured to the stall, now housed by farm animals, to inspect the animals there, especially the cows. They were usually peaceful, however when Hohen suddenly pulled their tail they would run out of the stall as if possessed and usually it was Edward's job to literally hunt them down and bring them back.

That usually resulted with Winry laughing so hard her stomach hurt as she watched her husband chase after the rogue cow frantically, his small son not that far behind, stretching his little arms out and yelling "Daddy!" "Daddy! Cow hunter!".

Needless to say, it never got boring in the Elric home.

When Al had joined the chase to help his brother catch the cow Mei and Winry had to support themselves against the threshold to not fall on the floor from laughing so hard.

"Al! Can't ya run any faster?! Even Hohen is faster than you milk it!" instead of using the word "damn" Edward opted to use his favorite drink as substitute for most of his swear words, well, when he would swear and it wasn't much anymore.

"Sorry brother! It seems like I ate too much at Xing!" the younger Elric held his stomach, panting heavily, trying to catch up.

"Oi! I told ya to start training didn't I?! You'll get fat in no time if you eat so much! Guess I'll have to teach Ling a lesson about allowing you to eat so much-"

"You called Edward?" it was none other than Ling.

Perched on top of the running cows back comfortably, sitting cross-legged with his arms crossed with a bright smile on his face.

"Ling?! You dirty little milk drinker! What the in the milk are you doing here?! How did you even get on top of the cow in the first place?!" Edward sped up his pace, closing in on the cow surprisingly well yet it was still not enough.

"Ah, I'm allowed to have some secrets don't I Ed? Oh seems like you're catching up," Ling lifted a hand and smacked it against the cow's behind, the cow "mooed" in stunned surprise and sped up, creating more and more distance.

"MILK YOU LING!"

"Milk you too Ed!" Ling grinned and waved happily, causing Ed to go in a rage filled tantrum over the reckless emperor of Xing.

"Some things never change huh Mei?" Winry asked her good friend, smiling and giggling at the sight of her husband being enraged.

"No and I don't think they will anytime soon," she smiled as well as she watched Al and Ed resume their chase, all the while little Hohen was laughing and running after his father, thinking of it all as a game.

They had all endured many hardships together and each of them taught them to cherish life as it was and not to mess with things that simply couldn't be undone, like the death of a loved one.

That's the reason why they all grew stronger in their own way…

That was the reason why their hearts were made of Fullmetal.

 **Done!** Please review! I hope you guys enjoyed it! Future ideas are welcome thanks! :D


	8. What Makes us Human

**Heya everyone! :D** This little one shot will be about the Homunculi!

 **WARNING : Blood and gore ahead! And torture! Don't like please don't read! Thank you!**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS : **

**Panic : **O.O W-wow…thank you so much! *.* haha I'm always surprised at the delighted reviews I get and let me tell you the reviews I received yesterday brightened my day immediately! I hadn't been in such a good mood lately but after I read those reviews I was on cloud 9! ^_^ Woah, really? I was so damn nervous about writing Greed, since he's one of my favorite characters and I was writing him for the first time! I really tried to avoid making him too OOC and keeping him in character, I'm glad some think I managed to do it! :3

Thanks for the wonderful compliments! Haha Yeah, I know, but for that particular one shot, I needed to portray Greed as being a complete douche bag and let out the part of him being protective of his squad and cherishing them, I'll write a one shot about their bonds soon! Again, THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! (squeal) Still can't really believe people like my stories so much hehe ^_^"

 **Anonymous J:** haha Thanks a bunch! Oh you mean the thing with replacing swear words with "milk"? Yeah, I had to laugh too when I came up with it, since I doubt he would swear when his children were within earshot. Ahh yeah…I love writing scenes where Ling is his mischievous self and teasing Ed! :3 I doubt I pulled off Mei & Al very well but I'll try to improve that's a promise! Thanks for enjoying and reading my stories! :D

 **Enjoy reading everyone!**

* * *

 **What Makes us Human**

Greed had seen from the start what Father thought of them; as his pawns, a means to an end. Nothing more. They were just his marionettes to be played with however the puppet master saw fit, bending them to his will and making them execute things that even made Greed cringe.

Like this.

When one of his fellow Homunculi didn't fulfill a mission correctly or failed and _dared_ to come back alive, they would have to pay hell. In Greed's opinion, it was better being killed off by Edward Elric and his rag tag team than….being "disciplined" by Father.

After his death, his first body, Greed had learned to obey his old man, as much as he hated his guts. Thankfully he managed to shut off Ling completely, not allowing him to invade his thoughts, take control of his body or be able to see what was going on, it was better that way. The prince would have thanked him if he had seen this.

This time, Lust failed to kidnap that Rockbell girl, Edward Elric's mechanic and supposed love interest, of course always a good target to use against him. At least she would have been if Elric himself hadn't caught on to what they were planning and quickly saved the girl before Lust could "play" with her.

Greed couldn't say he particularly liked Lust, she was certainly nice to look at, was a good partner in combat but otherwise he didn't like her at all. However, not even that bitch deserved what Father was doing to her now.

Greed frowned when Lust screamed out in pain again, a heart wrenching, blood curling scream that reverberated off the walls of their hideout. The other Homunculi quietly watched the torture of their fellow Homunculi, Gluttony especially was devastated, Gluttony had to be physically restrained so he didn't aid Lust in her misery.

Father stepped on her throat with his foot hard, sending bolts of electricity through her body, her regenerative abilities helped heal her but that didn't mean she didn't feel the pain.

Oh she _did_ and it was the most _terrifying_ thing she had been subjected to thus far. She tried to hold in her screams of pain, knowing it only urged on her "Father" to continue, but she was unable to. Father repeatedly sent bolts of electricity through her, shockwaves of the highest volt coursing through her, boiling her blood, searing her flesh, until bones remained. Then her Philosopher's Stone would regenerate everything and the torture would continue.

When Father strapped Lust to a wall, chained her to be more exact, her eyes widened when Father ripped out one of her elongated nails and plunged them into her stomach, Lust had no idea how he did that, but she suddenly felt multiple spikes protrude from her broken nail, piercing everything in her body, scraping just so against her Stone, the pain grew worse when he slowly dragged it upward, tearing open her stomach, her chest, ripping out her throat.

Blood freely gushed from her numerous, severe wounds. Lust remained unmoving for a moment, before her Philosopher's Stone slowly repaired her broken body.

Gluttony kept whimpering from beside Greed, on his other side, Envy was crossing it's arms, frowning in displeasure.

Before Father could continue with his torture, Greed intervened, "Hey pops, don't you think that's enough? Lusty still needs her Stone in full power if you need to use her aga-" Greed quickly brought up his Ultimate Shield to cover his, and Ling's, neck.

Father, with pinpoint accuracy, hurled Lust's broken nailed straight at his throat, the offending weapon bounced off the hard diamond-like surface of Greed's neck.

Greed's eyes were narrowed, not daring to show his surprise at Father's quick, unexpected violent attack at him. Then again, the old man was crazy as it was, of course he would pull shit like this.

"Did you say something Greed? _I_ decide when to stop disciplining my beloved children, unless you want to join us?" a involuntary shiver of something akin to fear and disgust raced up and down Greed's spine at the pure bloodlust in Father's nearly white eyes.

Greed, with a dark frown, closed his mouth, his shoulders straighter and his whole body tense. He couldn't risk it, as much as he was the most rebellious one of the bunch, he couldn't risk Father torturing him at least not if he wanted to get the prince in danger too.

Father smiled a slow, menacing smile," Good," before he turned back to Lust, who had regenerated her whole body, a weary, tired look about her.

Gluttony whimpered again, shaking in fear at his Father's anger and bloodlust. Envy was biting his lips, Sloth was just looking emptily at the torture of one of his teammates, seemingly emotionlessly, but Greed sensed he was troubled by what he was seeing.

Pride slowly walked up to Greed and the Homunculus looked down at the powerful demon, "You dared to disobey our Father, Greed?" the kid was dangerous, no matter how prideful Greed was, sometime she had to swallow shit if he wanted to survive.

"Listen Pride, I wasn't disobeying him, I was just thinkin' outta the box. Imagine Lusty's stone draining it's power now? We still need her if we want to conquer the world," he crossed his muscular arms, concealed by the dark fabric he chose to wear instead of that weird, light getup Ling had previously been prancing around in.

Pride looked at him for a long moment, before nodding to himself, going back to his place beside Sloth and opting to watch Lust and Father.

Greed briefly wondered where Wrath was, but banished the thought, it wasn't important anyway, it was better he wasn't here, he may have gone into a rage if he saw this.

Ever since Wrath took control of the body of none other than King Bradley, he had turned into a damn softy. He was actually _protective_ of his so called wife, Bradley's wife, and almost skinned Greed alive when he tried making the moves on her.

Greed watched in pity as Gluttony desperately tried to free himself of his restraints, constantly screaming Lust's name out in worry.

Greed quickly slammed his hand, coated in the Ultimate Shield in case Gluttony tried biting it, against the glutton's mouth, "Would you stop screaming? It hurts my ears,"

"B-b-but…b-but L-Lust….F-Father is…Father is…" tears rolled from Gluttony's beady eyes and Greed almost felt sorry for Lust.

"Listen Gluttony, you can't do anything, I'll turn you away from them if ya want, just don't make so much noise or else you will attract the old man's attention and the next thing you know you're his next toy," Greed briefly glanced behind him, closing his eyes when Father brutally ripped Lust's spine out of her back, tearing the skin, blood flying everywhere.

"P-p-please…b-brother…" Gluttony begged pathetically, sobbing quietly. Greed felt a pang somewhere in his chest, where the prince's heart was, but he ignored it.

He covered his forearms in his ultimate shield and grabbed Gluttony's very heavy chains, he heaved them up and turned Gluttony around so he wouldn't have to watch his sister-figure and fellow Homunculi get skewered by Father. Gluttony cringed every so often, hearing Lust's blood curling screams, however Greed wasn't able to do anything to help him with that.

Pride watched the exchange between Gluttony and Greed with mild interest, asking himself when the greedy Homunculus turned kind. Sloth had been watching as well and quietly, he moved over to sit next to Gluttony, carefully placing a massive hand on his chubby shoulders, trying what looked like to comfort him. Envy sighed heavily, sitting down heavily on Gluttony's other side, just sitting, being quiet, but strangely enough it pacified Gluttony slightly.

Greed just stood next to them with crossed arms, forcing himself to watch how Father tortured Lust almost to death. Greed questioned himself on his rare show of kindness, especially toward his Homunculi brothers and sisters. He shook his head, maybe it was the prince's influence or something.

After Father had been done torturing Lust, Greed, after Father left, carefully picked Lust's unconscious body from the ground, he passed by Pride, who followed him, along with Sloth, Envy and Gluttony.

"What are you doing Greed?" Envy asked suspiciously

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm carrying her away from the old man, least he decided he got bored again," Greed snapped back in irritation, walking toward one of the many chambers and laying Lust on a futon.

Gluttony immediately moved to look her over, holding back tears at her unconscious form. Sloth and Envy opted to stay with him, while Pride left.

"Thank you brother…" Lust whispered, holding Gluttony's hand.

A look of surprise briefly flashed across Greed's face as he closed the door behind him, trying to ignore the pain in his chest. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, trying to sort out his thoughts.

" _I've never treated them as nothing more than my underlings! Why did I attempt to stop Father?! I hate the bastard but I hate Lust too! Why did I even carry her? I should have left her unconscious ass there!"_ Greed frowned darkly

" _Because you have feelings Greed, you had them with your comrades as well, don't you remembered? Bido? Martel?"_ Greed shook his head, the memories of his past life flooding his mind again.

" _Did I ask for you to butt in Ling? No! So shut up! I have to convince the old fart that I'm on his side or he will kill me off again! And this time you're coming with me to hell when that happens!"_

 _"_ _You tried to stop Father because you realized not all Homunculi are bad, they are just obeying Father, obeying orders, just like you, right? Maybe there are some among them who would never betray Father, but they just need someone to open their eyes about him. Like it or not, the Homunculi are your siblings, whether demon's spawn or saints, you treated Gluttony kindly because you saw how sad he was about Lust. Those were feelings Greed,_ _ **your**_ _feelings, not mine,"_ Ling waited patiently for Greed to answer, it had truly surprised him how Greed had acted kind toward Gluttony before, easing his pain at least a little.

Ling had wanted to take control over his body and confront Father, but when he saw how Father reacted at Greed saying something, he backed off. He needed Ed and the others to fight them off, Greed had been right thinking it foolish to act out of line now.

Greed lowered his head, a frown on his handsome face, " _Heh, guess it's hard hiding something from you eh prince? Sorry to burst your bubble but I ain't the family type if you hadn't noticed, I only act when something would pop in for me,"_ his answer was confident

" _I didn't see you gain anything just now,"_ Ling pressed on

" _You're wrong, I did. I'm even greedy for a smile from a pretty woman's lips,"_ Greed continued walking, not attempting to explain anything to the confused Ling.

Ling may not have seen it, but Greed sure did. Just before he had closed the door behind him, he caught Lust's eye as she whispered 'thank you' to him with a grateful smile on her tired face.

Maybe those so called "feelings" the prince was talking about did make them more human than what they were given credit for, Greed wasn't about to discuss this matter deeper though, he tended to keep things to himself.

After all, he was Greed the Avaricious. He liked keeping his possessions in one piece.

 **Done!** Ideas for future chapters and reviews are very welcome! Thanks for reading!


	9. Envy Inside Us All

**Yoo!** Hey everyone! Ah, just so you know, I'm FINALLY back home (in Croatia), lush green trees, the forest a few steps away…just wonderful and breathtaking *.* I get so easily fed up with the city it's crazy . While the city has its perks, nothing can beat good old nature! :D Especially at night…it's such a peaceful silence…the only things you may hear occasionally are barking dogs or cockroaches but otherwise…nothing, haha you sleep like a baby :3

Right…the story…sorry I'm just so unbelievably that I'm back home after so many long months! T_T

 **ANSWERS TO WONDERFUL REVIEWS: **

**Anonymous J:** Thank you buddy! ^_^ Like I said, Greed's one of my fav characters of FMA (and hot as hell lol) I had been distracted by simultaneously writing the protocol for school and my stories so I hope I managed to pull it off well, I'm thankful to have such good and faithful readers like you and everyone else! Really boosts my motivation quite a bit! J Happy Independence Day to you too!

 **Panic : **Hihi thank you lots! :D (waterfall tears) I'm always so glad and happy to hear my stories actually brightened someone's day! :3 Thanks for the compliment! I always answer to reviews whether through PM's or on my chaps! Really? Gluttony? Wow, never thought I would write Gluttony good, I'm not too sure if I captured his character all that well :P Ohoo, those are some pretty good ideas! Well, here's a Envy-centric one for you and the rest! I hope I captured him good and that he isn't too OOC. Enjoy! :3 P.S.

 **Enjoy reading everyone!**

* * *

 **Envy Inside Us All**

Envy, one of the seven deadly sins, has existed even before humans first began to walk the earth. It had existed in the early eras, the stone age, the dinosaur period, when primates and other mammals were the main rulers of the earth, when "Earth" was then known as "Pangea" or "Gaia" by some.

Envy has existed since the beginning of time and it has always been there.

When one feels envious, he also feels greedy, greedy for the things somebody else may have that oneself lacks, he feels anger that he lacks those things or abilities and pride when he does acquire them.

When one feels envious it could be with such a hunger to swallow the whole world, which in turn succumbs to greed itself.

Envy has always been envious of Greed, Lust, Pride and Wrath. He didn't much care for Gluttony or Sloth, they were dim witted either way.

Greed had had everything he desired; money, power, fame, women and his underlings.

Lust had a killer body that any woman would kill for, possessed impressive combat skills and knew how to wrap every male with a powerful position around her little finger, basically opening all doors for her.

Pride was powerful in his own right, while taking the form of the child Selim, King Bradley's son, he had control over his shadows, crushing anything that was in their path, their razor sharp teeth cutting event through steel.

Wrath…Wrath was possibly one of the – if not _the_ strongest – Homunculi. He had taken control over King Bradley's body, he possessed exceptional swordsmanship skills, capable of killing a foe within seconds with pinpoint accuracy and able to hit the most vital spots in the fragile human body. Aside from his swordsmanship skills and superior physical strength, he also had the Ultimate Eye, making him see through every move his opponent would make beforehand, managing to counter accordingly. He was practically unstoppable.

Envy…for one he didn't know what gender he even had…if he even was a "he" or not. He could take on many forms, many faces and bodies of people he saw, using them to his advantage, for example killing that annoying lieutenant that tried interfering with the Homunculi…what had been his name? May? Hughes? Something like that.

While he was capable of transforming himself into a green monster larger than a building, consuming the agony filled souls of the deceased, swallowing them and gaining strength, he was vulnerable otherwise, though he would never admit that.

Though the time when he _truly_ realized just how weak and fragile and _human_ he was…that was when Mustang had almost burned him to death.

It was that woman, Hawkeye, that stopped him, then Scar and the annoying Edward came as well. Envy had thought he could still pull through, escape, but Edward had gripped him tightly in his hand, until Envy had bitten him.

He tried turning them against each-other, tried to reopen old wounds and make each of them go in a frenzy at each-other, as he knew humanity was doomed to destroy itself, as they had throughout history, time and time again.

What shocked him the most was how everyone accepted their past sins so easily, even Mustang didn't try to fry him again.

It had greatly disappointed Envy, made him _angry_ but most of all he had been frightened, _terrified_ even.

There in his weakest and truest form, his pathetic small green form, with an eye and a mouth. Envy had sensed his end drawing nearer, but he didn't want to believe it, couldn't, because he was supposed to be the all powerful Homunculi Envy of old, having existed for millennia, he didn't want to believe this was how he would end.

In his final moments of life, before his upper body was completely disintegrated, he thought of Elric's earlier words. He had been right, this was Envy's true form, weak, small, pathetic.

He was Envy, envious of _humans_ , a race he had deemed far beneath his Homunculi brethren, something they used as entertainment and toys, not something to be _envious_ of.

But he had realized, far too late, just before his death, that humans had many qualities the Homunculi and essentially Father, lacked.

They had feelings that made them stronger, capable of forming lasting bonds that grew in intensity and strength the longer they lasted. They worked together to ensure each-others survival and safety, they created families together and shared many happy and sad memories.

They had hearts. Hearts that beat in tandem with their feelings.

They had stones. Philosopher Stone's that pulsed in tandem with their regenerative abilities.

It wasn't fair, Envy had thought, but then again, was _anything_ in life fair? Had it been in Envy's? He wasn't sure, he couldn't remember, now that he was floating in the eternal abyss of darkness that threatened to consume his consciousness.

He didn't know where he would go, he was sure he had no place in heaven, but he had done far worse things in his life that he was sure that even Satan would turn his back on him.

Was there a world in between? A place for Envy to call home? He remembered the older Elric talking about how important it was to have a home one can return to.

Envy didn't remember ever having a home.

A single tear fell into the seemingly never ending void of darkness, erasing its existence as the first tear Envy released which he poured his entire _feelings_ into.

Envy didn't have a home. He never had one.

* * *

 **Done! PLEASE tell me what you guys think of this! Don't worry! Happier one shots will definitely come! :D**


	10. Hiding Behind a Mask

**Hello everyone!** I hope you guys are all alright! I'm feeling in FMA-mood lately, so expect frequent updates! :D

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **StariChanx : **Wow, really? Thank you a lot! I'm not sure if I can write Envy so well, since it's the first time I was focusing on him/her, but I hope I managed to at least scratch the surface of what he's feeling and his character in general ^_^ Well, sure if that's what everyone wants, I could even write one shots for (for example) Ed, Winry, Riza, Tucker (that bastard ), Nina, Hughes, Kimbleey…etc. If you have any ideas please feel free to tell them! Thanks for the many compliments! Hehe :3

 **Anonymous J : **Thanks buddy! ^_^ I'll try to do my best!

 **Jadasimone16:** haha will do! I love that pairing too! :3

 **1-800fangirl : **(embarrassed giggle) Thanks! Man, I'm getting red from all that praise! Haha I'll update more frequently since I have so much free time now!

 **Panic : **Yeah, I guess it's a bit different than what I usually write, thanks for the compliment! :D Never thought ever since I started writing fanfiction that my stories would be well-liked ^^"

 **Enjoy reading this one shot everyone! Thank you for the kind compliments!**

* * *

 **Hiding Behind a Mask**

Lan Fan had been trained ever since she was little, mostly being trained by her beloved grandfather Fu, who had once been assigned the honorable position of guarding one of the Emperors of Xing, long before Lan Fan had been born.

Lan Fan grew older, she received her first marriage proposal at the age of fifteen. It had been from a boy whom she used to play with as a child occasionally, he had been the second in command of the Guard of Xing, being assigned more dangerous missions to ensure the Emperor's safety as well as acting as spies and the main intelligence body of Xing. Lan Fan declined him, because she had a crush at someone else back then. And still did in adulthood.

By the time Lan Fan turned into a woman of twenty years of age, she had increasingly tried to hide her feelings from none other than the prince and next in line for the throne, Ling Yao. They played together since they met in their early childhood, though their meetings were mostly cut short, since a mere servant of the royal household had been deemed unfit to interact with royalty.

Lan Fan had taken it in stride, as she was taught that between servants and royalty there could never possibly be a relationship other than of servant and master. She swore to herself she would follow all rules, as had her grandfather, who died protecting the prince and essentially the Homunculus Greed as well. The death of the only family member she had left after the war, where she lost her parents, devastated her.

She had assigned herself a vigorous training session in the mountains, thinking she could cope with the pain of losing Fu at the hands of Wrath in King Bradley's body. She was found unconscious, passed out in the middle of the dense forest, where the feral animals only waited until night approached and they could feast upon their easy prey.

The young warrior had awakened in what seemed to be a cave, a fire steadily flickering near her, a heavy black long coat draped over her still form. As her eyes blinked and began to focus clearly again, she spotted a distinctively male figure sitting watch at the mouth of the cave, the long black pony tail, the form-fitting black, sleeveless shirt that clung to a well-trained body she unknowingly had stared at occasionally…she immediately knew who it was.

Much to her dismay the chi she detected wasn't that of the young prince, of her Lord, rather it was from the vile Homunculus, Greed.

"How did you get here, Homunculus?" her question was cold as she tried to slowly sit up.

The man answered without turning around to look at her," Ouch, that hurts ya know? Here I am tracking you for days now and find you half dead, about to be devoured by wolves and all you can say is why I am here? Geez, at least a kiss would be nice," when Greed heard the subtle hiss coming from Lan Fan he ordered surprisingly sternly," Don't move, your body is too weak, you've been denying yourself food for too long and you've been training too hard. Rest."

Lan Fan found herself obeying his command, not because it was an order, but because she found her human body protesting heavily against her attempts of moving. She laid carefully back down, unconsciously fingering the material of the black coat.

"First eat something then I'll answer any questions you have princess," Lan Fan noticed what appeared to be meat, pierced on sticks which were already cooked by the fire, a large boar of some kind on the other side of the cave, already skinned and carefully cut.

She growled lowly at the "princess" remark before she reluctantly took a stick and starting chewing warily on the meat, until her hunger overwhelmed her and she started eating more vigorously.

She froze when she heard the Homunculus laugh heartily, he turned his head slightly to regard her with a large grin, "Well, well, well, looks like you're hungry after all huh?" at Lan Fan's embarrassed blush Greed chided surprisingly gently," Eat as much you want, I sure as hell won't judge, besides you could use a pound or two more,"

Lan Fan, embarrassed blush in place, decided to ignore him as she continued to eat, more controlled, her meal managing to sit up and lean against the cave wall.

Long minutes passed until she finally asked the question that she had asked before in a much softer tone, "You didn't answer me, why are you here Homunculus?"

This time, Greed did turn around fully to regard her, and Lan Fan cursed mentally.

She decided that light and shadow were her biggest enemies right now, the shadows played tricks on her, because of the fire, the contours of the well-defined muscles hidden beneath the tight fitting black shirt Greed wore accentuated his trained physique. Though even Lan Fan had to admit that Ling, while he did have a trained body, he had been very lean, the muscles only just so visible. When Greed had merged with him however, the Homunculus obviously had enjoyed training vigorously at times even with Fu, though the old ninja had often put up with the witty Homunculus against his will. At least at the beginning.

Much to Lan Fan's surprise, Greed had grown on Fu, maybe not as much as the young Lord of course, but nevertheless her grandfather had respected and grew fond of the sin. In the end, he had given everything he had and went beyond his limits to ensure _both_ their safety.

"Alright, how about we call each-other by name? You know, the whole "Homunculus" thing is getting old isn't it? No?" the look she was giving him suggested otherwise, "Well, I ain't answering your questions if you keep calling me "Homunculus","

Lan Fan bit her lip, thinking for a moment before she nodded slowly in agreement, Greed nodded to himself with a smirk, satisfied, "Good, as for your question, you were gone for a pretty long time, so me and Ling decided to search you out,"

Lan Fan's eyes widened in surprise, the prince had missed her? It couldn't be…

Her eyes narrowed, "Why?" she swallowed, keeping her nerves in check.

"Pff, isn't it obvious? Because we were worried duh! Well…alright, Ling kept pestering me, he was the worrywart, I wasn't that much so yeah…what the-" Greed tried to hold his own hand back from trying to slap himself, "L-Ling, fucking _ask_ before you t-take control damn it!"

Ling took control temporarily, striking Greed or rather himself, across the face. Ling frowned in dismay, obviously having a dispute with Greed in his mind, before he focused his attention on the slightly stunned woman before him.

"Apologies Lan Fan, Greed said he never lied but it seems like he's breaking that promise more and more often ever since we defeated Father, the truth is _he_ was the worrywart, of course I was very concerned as well, but it was Greed who insisted we should search for you as soon as possible. I tried to give you your space but well…"

Just then Greed took over again, "Don't listen to that runt! He's been drinking too much!" Greed looked like he could murder someone with the menacing glare he was sporting.

Despite the semi-serious atmosphere and Lan Fan's fatigue, she giggled despite her best efforts to muffle it with her hand.

Greed looked like he was arguing with Ling in his head again, his arms crossed with a irritated scowl on his handsome face, until he heard Lan Fan's laugh and turned to look at her.

"Heh, looks like I can make you laugh after all," he grinned something that Lan Fan could only describe as his trademark "Greed grin". That devil-may-care cocky grin that she could only associate with him as weird as it sounded, "You should laugh more often Lan Fan, your laugh's nice enough to not make my ears bleed,"

As she briefly thought over his words, Lan Fan concluded that that meant in Greed language; I like your laugh, you should laugh more. This time, she let a small, shy smile escape her, she felt oddly exposed to him now.

Greed carefully assessed her mood, before he stood up and dusted himself off with a small smile.

Lan Fan looked up at him, confused, "Where are you going?" Greed turned his head to look at her with a understanding smile.

"As much as I hate to do it after all this trouble of finding ya, I'll head back and wait till you come back on your own. It's no use in forcing you to come," his smile turned soft, "I liked the old man, I can only imagine how hard it is for you since he was your grandpa, so I'll leave you as much time as you like, but if I sense you're in danger I'm staying here longer got that?" he waited for her to respond to him, his hands in his pockets.

Lan Fan was surprised at his understanding of her situation and loss, at the beginning she thought Homunculi weren't capable of feelings and human emotions at all but ever since Greed had merged with her Lord, she was starting to think differently.

She smiled tenderly, resting a hand over her beating heart at Greed's kind gesture, she knew her feelings for her Lord, but until now, she had no idea she started to feel something for Greed as well.

"Thank you…Greed," Greed had never seen Lan Fan smile so openly at him before, with such a warm and happy look, it made him feel slightly uncomfortable as he turned to avoid her seeing his expression,

"Yeah…whatever. Just stay out of trouble and _eat_ once I'm gone alright? Don't make me track you down again and find you starved alright?" Greed had to look at her one last time before he went off, just to make sure it wasn't all in his head like he happened to dream every once and a while.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Lan Fan assured him with another smile, her eyes shining with thankfulness and trust. Greed found that uncomfortable feeling to be back, maybe he was coming down with something.

" _Ugh…those pesky humans…their bodies are far too fragile and weak to fight off even the most basic of illnesses…"_ Greed thought with dismay as his heart began to pound and his hands began to sweat.

"Good, guess I'll see ya around then," before Greed left out of her sight however, Greed hollered over his shoulder, "By the way, I took care of the wild animals around here, you should sleep like a baby tonight!" he grinned

Lan Fan could only dumbstruck after Greed as he passed by two bound bears, who covered and whimpered in fear when he passed by them. Just then she noticed he had set up _traps_.

And almost in each trap there was some wild, dangerous animal trapped in it. A wolf was hanging by a rope from a tree, trying to desperately climb up the rope when it saw Greed nearby. Two wild boars were trapped in a net, looking like they were praying to never see the Homunculus again while the two bears looked like little defenseless cubs once Greed disappeared out of sight.

Lan Fan had to wonder just _what_ the Homunculus had been up to while she had been unconscious.

"Hm…" Lan Fan pondered it over, she knew Ling and Greed were the best of friends now, Ling letting Greed rule over his body any time he wished and even scheming pranks together, if she let Greed return alone to Xing and leave the new Emperor unguarded…leave a _bored_ Emperor unguarded…

Her eyes widened as she quickly grabbed a few sticks of meat and sprinted after Greed, who was not that far from the cave where he brought her to.

"Greed!" she shouted, trying to catch up. The Homunculus slowed as he let her catch up to him so she was walking by his side, he rose an eyebrow in question.

"What are you doing here? I thought you needed your space," he was definitely confused now…and embarrassed by his little-too-open speech earlier. Damn it he was turning into a damn softie. He should stop hanging around the Elrics for a while.

"I changed my mind…I'm alright, besides, I can't let you return to Xing alone, I'm the Emperor's guard after all," Lan Fan chewed on her meat in determination, trying to not reveal the _real_ reason why she decided to go back home.

"Is that so? Alright then, glad to have ya on board again Lan Fan!" Greed grinned cheerfully, clapping her lower back playfully, dangerously close to her behind.

Greed quickly covered his forehead and groin in his Ultimate Shield, letting the sharp tips of the two wooden sticks bounce off the respective areas harmlessly, a bead of sweat was forming on his forehead as he held his hands up in a fake display of innocence,

"H-Hey, Lan Fan, I was just kidding around there, ya know me…" Greed quickly ducked when he saw the shiny, dangerous glint her weapon gave off as Lan Fan attempted to decimate him to bits, he quickly started running away from the skilled ninja who was hot on his heels.

"I should have let you fall to your doom with Wrath!" Lan Fan shouted as she threw her kunai at him

"Hey! No need to get all pissy with me! Come on! Can't a incredibly handsome guy cop a feel every-hey!" Greed jumped out of the way when Lan Fan made a downward slash with her blade, nearly cutting him in half.

" _Greed you perverted fool! Try to act like a gentleman around her!"_ Ling scolded him sharply, slapping his hand over his face in irritation.

" _Oi, oi! Don't try to act like a freaking saint here_ _ **my Lord**_ _, as if you_ _ **didn't**_ _want to cop a feel! It wasn't even a dangerous zone! Hell I was only_ _ **near**_ _the zone!"_ Greed argued with his seemingly human counterpart about it.

" _S-shut up Greed! One thing is to think about it and the other is to actually do it!"_

 _"_ _Oho, so you_ _ **admit**_ _at being a pervert! Well, what would Lan Fan say about that?"_

Greed shouted over his shoulder as he was still running for his life, "Yo Lan Fan! Guess what Ling was thinking of just now-"

"Stop it Greed! I command you to stop! That's it! I'm taking my body back! I'll rip you out of my body! Milk you!" Ling punched his/Greed's face before Greed took control and delivered the next punch. Ling mentally cursed himself for developing Ed's new way of swearing whenever his kids were in the vicinity.

"Hey Emperor, I heard I tasted a little salty so I wouldn't-"

" _GREED_!" Lan Fan shouted in embarrassment, trying to swing at him with her blade with a red face.

"Would you look at that, our little, presumably innocent Lan Fan's having dirty thoughts about me eh?" Greed grinned and laughed when Lan Fan only doubled her efforts to kill him, Ling oddly fell silent at his comment.

Greed enjoyed seeing the bright red blush cover her entire face, he felt a twinge of male pride poke at him when he realized it was because of _him_ and _only_ him.

" _I should let Lan Fan beat your ass to a pulp,"_ Ling muttered inside their consciousness with crossed arms and a childish pout

" _Heh, you mean she will beat up our ass to a pulp? After all, it's the same ass. Though my ass is better,"_ Greed roared with laughter at Ling's comeback

" _What do you_ _ **mean**_ _your ass is better?! It's the same ass idiot!"_ Ling tried not to let Greed's taunts get to him.

He failed spectacularly

" _MY ASS IS BETTER! IT'S ROYALTY DAMN IT!"_

Greed could only laugh like a psychopath as Lan Fan continued to chase him all the way back to Xing.

* * *

Inside the Elrics home, Edward sneezed unexpectedly, scratching his nose as he read the newspaper.

"You got down with a cold Ed?" Winry asked, combing her daughter's hair.

"Nah, at least I don't think so. Weird…it's like someone was talking about me…" Ed shrugged and repositioned Hohen on his lap so the little troublemaker was comfortable as his father was reading.

 **Phew….** I sure hope Ed won't find out Greedling said those things about him…then again, I'm the author, anything could happen lol :P Hope you guys enjoyed reading it! Suggestiosna re always welcome! I could write about other couples I haven't listed too if you want! Just name them and I'll try to write them to the best of my ability! :D


	11. Her most cherished Item

Hi everyone I hope you're all ready for the next one shot! ;) And I'm so sorry for being SO LATE! .

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Panic : **Wow thanks so much! I feel really motivated when people tell me that I write something good thank you J Ah those are some really good ideas! Thanks! I'll definitely get to it :D And I'm sorry for the slow updates! I had to write for my other stories . BTW: Thanks for your understanding, really, but I'll try to keep my promise about updating quickly! ;)

 **Anonymous J:** Oho Maes&Gracia huh? Should it be sad (after Maes dies) or something like that Maes survived and lives happily with his family later? Thanks for the ideas!

 **MyLifeIsALie : **Ah, I see, thanks for the tip! I'll keep that in mind, I'll plan the next chapter soon about Ling&Lan Fan! :D

 **1-800fangirl : **R-really? Eheh Thanks a lot! *.* I always get so happy and excited when someone praises my work! I'm always a bit (ha) nervous whenever I update a new chapter so your incredible reviews help me to continue writing! ^_^ Should I write (for future chapters) more serious ones or more family/comedy oriented ones?

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Her most cherished Item**

Winry frantically fixed Hohen's dress shirt and his little shoes, combing his hair neatly back. Then she quickly made finishing touches to Sarah, making sure her pigtails were alright, that she made her business before dressing her in fresh diapers and a small light red dress with white polka dots.

She sighed in relief, before her eyes narrowed at her bedroom, where the door was ajar, only a sliver of light managing to peek through.

That was it.

"Edward! What's taking you so long?! We will be late!" Winry growled, stalking to their bedroom like an angry bull.

She slammed the door open, startling her poor husband, who was just pulling up his black formal pants, shirtless. Thankfully his braid was at least neat.

Winry exploded.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU _DOING_?! I TOLD YOU TO GET READY AN HOUR AGO!" she roared, standing in front of her husband with her hands on her hips.

Ed froze, partially in fear and partially in awe of his stunning wife.

Now, it wasn't like Winry already wasn't beautiful in his eyes, to him, she could be prancing around in a plastic bag and she would still be the most beautiful woman to him, as cliché as that sounded.

But at times like these, where they were called as guests of the new Emperor of Xing himself, Ling, she always made sure to look her best, well screw that, she _exceeded_ his expectations every time, like now.

She wore a dress he bought her a few years ago, it was a day after their wedding and a day before their honeymoon week, ahem, _month_ , started. It was rather modest but complimented her ample curves very well, it was white in color, with floral patterns on the whole expanse of the dress, decorated with red roses, lilies and tulips. It had light twirls at the end, which looked like waves when she walked, it was slightly tighter at her waist with a white ribbon on the back and it flared out at the bottom.

Ed's jaw was wide open as his lovely wife screamed at him.

"-ard!"

" –ward!"

"Edward!"

" _ED!"_ Winry's last yell tore him out of his daze, quickly back tracking when he saw how furious Winry was at him.

"Stop ignoring me and get ready! You have _two minutes_ to dress yourself and-"

"You look…stunning…" he couldn't believe he said that out loud.

 _Crap._

Blue eyes blinked in shock, this time Winry's mouth was gaping open in shock, looked up at Ed's look of embarrassment and admiration.

"W-what?" she had to make sure she heard right.

"Y-you look stunning…" Ed repeated himself, grinning sheepishly. A bright smile grew on Winry's face and he mentally sighed in relief that she wouldn't unleash her wrath at hi-

"STOP TRYING TO DISCTRACT ME ELRIC!" Winry huffed in anger and lamely hidden embarrassment, moving closer to him to stand directly in front of his tall frame.

"Hey! You're an Elric too you-woah! Hey!" Ed jumped when he felt Winry's hands on his pants as she pulled them up and closed the zipper, he quickly but gently pried her hands away.

His face resembled a tomato, "W-w-what the milk are you doing Winry?!" Ed's head was whipping back and forth between his wife and the ( _thankfully_ ) closed door.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to get you dressed so we won't be late for Ling's party! And drop using 'milk' as a replacement for swear words!" Winry huffed, once again trying to grab his pants before Ed resolutely grabbed her hands and planted them to her sides.

" _Oh no!_ Your hands missy are staying _right_ there!" Ed swallowed thickly and Winry blushed lightly when she realized just _what_ he was thinking of when she innocently tried to forcefully dress him, "Hey! I thought you liked my new swear words!" he crossed his trained arms like a offended child.

"Pervert!" Winry had half a mind to sic him one with her wrench but she thought better of it, instead she huffed and turned around, throwing his white dress shirt at his head.

"C-come on, we will be late," she added in a more tamer, softer voice, a rosy blush on her cheeks. Winry was glad he couldn't see her right now.

Yes, they have been married for 8 years now, but it still didn't change the fact that they got on each-other's nerves on a daily basis.

Winry sighed, "I like your new swear words…" Winry was still stubborn as she had been before the time she realized her feelings for her childhood friend, however she had matured enough to, at times, give in first.

Edward stopped buttoning his shirt, blinking at Winry's back.

She suddenly felt two strong, warm arms wrap around her, the familiar deep voice of her husband sounding tenderly in her ears:" Thanks Winry," she smiled and squeezed his hands where they were joined in front of her stomach.

"You're welcome Ed," she turned around as Ed released her of his embrace and started buttoning up his shirt, a small blush on her husband's face.

"Winry,"

"S-shut up, if I let you dress we will stand here all night," she huffed playfully as she unbuttoned his shirt.

Wait…

"Uh…Winry…I thought you were supposed to _dress_ me not _undress_ me," Edward wore a very cocky smirk, amber eyes twinkling in mirth and amusement as his headstrong wife turned a pretty shade of scarlet.

"M-Milk you Ed!" she thundered her trusty wrench at his head in the next minute.

* * *

"Hey, brother?" Alphonse Elric asked as he eyed the sizeable bump on his elder brother's head.

"Yes, Al?" said grumpy Edward.

"Do I want to know?" he looked toward where Winry, his wife Mei, Riza Hawkeye and several other women he didn't recognize were standing in front of the buffet, chatting and eating.

"No," Ed scratched his head

"Ah! Welcome to the party everyone!" Ling personally, clad in his more formal clothes, came strolling in, his wife and body guard, Lan Fan, beside him, clad in a modest yet beautiful kimono.

"I see Ed used his infamous 'milk me' tactic and he got a wrench to the head huh? Oh Ed, when will you learn,"

Tomato-faced Edward was on top of the new Emperor in seconds, trying to claw his eyes out and rip his head off while his wife was giggling with the other women.

"E-d-w-a-r-d!" Winry Elric bonked her husband _and_ Ling on the head, separating the two men.

Lan Fan's eyes were glinting dangerously at her husband, promising torture to be dealt later on as soon as everyone was away, Ling could only sweat in fear.

"Just from _where_ did you get that thing from again?! I personally threw it on the couch before we left!" Ed growled, rubbing the newer, larger bump on his head.

"A woman is allowed to keep a few secrets to herself isn't she? Now shut up and dance with me," Winry grabbed her husband by his wrist and dragged him to the dance floor

Edward sighed, eyeing her up and down as they danced, "How in the calcium can you hide that wrench anywhere?! I can't see anything!" he eyed her chest for far longer than he actually needed, earning him a jab to his ribs.

"Stop being a pervert, I told you I have secrets," Winry firmly stayed with that.

"Oh really? Just who was trying to undress me before-"

"That was an accident!" tomato-faced Winry hid her face in Ed's chest as he laughed.

Edward found out years later that his wife actually bought a sling which she fastened on her hip or leg to store her precious wrench in.

* * *

 **The end! Reviews are very welcome thank you!**


	12. Selim's Memories, Pride's Battle

Hi guys! Thanks everyone for commenting my story(-ies)! :D I'll try to publish everyone's story wishes as fast as I can! Thank you all for your continued support, I'm really glad that some people can enjoy my stories! :3

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS :**

 **MyLifeIsALie : **Thank you! :3 haha Don't worry it will come soon! :) hehe yup, truth be told I think if I had a boyfriend I would behave like that too lol I can imagine it so clearly ^_^

 **Guest : **Thanks! Sure thing buddy! :) I'll try and write all the chapters as fast as I can! Thanks for your ideas!

 **NOTE CONCERNING GUEST REVIEWS : **Hey everyone! Just wanted to ask everyone who DOESN'T have an account that could they please write a username for themselves when writing reviews? They **don't** HAVE to if they don't want to, I just feel uncomfortable answering reviews if I don't know what to call my dear readers, I don't know, it just feels impersonal if I call my cherished readers "Guest" that's all. :P Thanks for reading/following my little wish! :)

* * *

 **Selim's Memories, Pride's Battle**

Pride watched emotionlessly as Gluttony was tortured, not batting an eyelash when he screamed out in pain.

"Pride," Father commanded as he turned toward his 'son', "I need you to provoke Edward Elric. Do something unspeakable that will surely wound him deeply." The grin Father wore was malicious and bloodthirsty.

"Kill a family in front of his very eyes, torture them if needed,"

Pride didn't show any emotion but a respectful bow, before disappearing into the trusted shadows he had control over as he prepared to fulfill his mission.

And then they came.

The images.

Pride had thought he was seeing things, but the images were becoming clearer and clearer with every atrocity he committed. The wobbly images turned to faces, faces of people he knew and didn't recognize. People that may have known Selim Bradley, the Führer's son, the body he used as a host.

The boy was dead, but Pride had secured his body to use in order to complete his orders for his dear Father.

He had no emotions, he was a Homunculus, _the_ Homunculus, he prided himself over his title, being one of the eldest and most powerful of his brethren.

And yet, at times, those images didn't grant him any peace of mind, even distracted him during his missions, they had to stop, but Pride had no idea how to silence them.

He had tried mingling them with the endless tempest of souls locked inside him, the souls he had devoured with pleasure, but they were still there, taunting him, reminding him of events that never were, that didn't affect him.

Selim was playing with his mother outside in their private garden, he was chasing after a small dog, his pet, his mother was laughing and smiling. His father had come, abandoning his duties as Führer and deciding to spend time with his family.

His father had been so kind, a serious, strict man but a kind and doting father and husband nonetheless. Selim had always felt safe and at peace when his parents were nearby, as did every child in his young age.

Another image appeared, where the Führer was mending a small cut on Selim's knee, comforting his son and telling him that one grows stronger with each injury he conquered and healed, the scars that would stay later on were a reminder of their strong will and heart.

An image of his mother, his beautiful, kind mother appeared next, how she fell ill due to a virus and his father had actually taken a whole week off to take care of her. They had had maids of course but his father's family was more important than his duties. He remembered how his father was making sure his mother was as comfortable as possible, feeding her soup, cutting her solid food into small pieces for her to chew on easily, carrying her to the bath to clean her, making sure her fever didn't grow…

He remembered his parents smiling at him so proudly, happy that they had a son they loved so very much-

 _No!_

Pride clutched the side of his face, suddenly falling to his knees as if in pain. He panted heavily, willing for these, these _memories_ to go away.

 _No!_

 _Selim!_

Pride roared, "I'm not _him!_ My name is Pride and I'm a Homunculus!" Pride grit his teeth tightly, shutting his eyes to silence the achingly familiar voices of his parents, no, _Selim's_ parents.

"I never had a family, these are not my memories! Curse you Selim…curse you boy! Implanting such disgusting memories in my head to torture me! I'm Pride!

He concentrated on the screams of agony the countless souls inside him released, after a while he calmed down, relishing in the screams of terror from the souls he had devoured without remorse.

He stood up, determined to fulfill his mission in order to please his Father.

Father…

"Father has done everything for me, he created me. He deserves the utmost respect, anyone opposing him shall be killed, be it human or Homunculi," an evil grin grew on Pride's face as he was walking toward his next target.

* * *

"Winry, it's far too dangerous for you to be mingling with our business. The Homunculi and Father are surely planning something bad, they failed to capture you but that doesn't mean they will stop trying to get to me and Al," Ed was sitting calmly at the table, one leg resting on the other as he drank water.

"I don't care Ed! You will get your automail busted up again! I'm here now so at least let me help, right Al?" Winry looked at the suit of armor containing her childhood friend's soul with a hopeful and fierce expression.

Alphonse scratched the back of his helmet, suddenly feeling extremely small at the two heated glares his brother and former crush were giving him.

"Umm…" he played with his fingers nervously, "Brother…I think Winry should stay here but I agree with brother that you shouldn't come with us on dangerous missions Winry," Al wanted nothing but to ensure his friends safety, if that meant that she should stay at home out of harm's way then so be it.

"Ugh! You're all the same! I can't believe I came here all the way just to be stood up by you two again! You know what? Do what you want! If Ed gets my automail destroyed then you can find yourselves another mechanic!" Winry rushed up the stairs, slamming the door shut loudly in her anger.

Edward sighed heavily, glaring into a corner of the kitchen, thinking deeply.

"Brother,"

"What is it Al?" Ed looked at his younger brother.

"Um, do you think we were too harsh on Winry? She is only worried about us after all…" his brother squirmed in his seat uncomfortably.

"Tch, whatever, she should cool off. She doesn't understand that if she tags along the Homunculi will only target her and use her against us Al. I can't risk her safety just because she throws a tantrum," Ed's word seemed final, as he stood up from his chair and walked outside, shutting the door behind him none too gently.

Al sighed heavily, looking upstairs towards where Winry stormed to and towards the door where his brother went out of. He had a very bad feeling, this couldn't end well at all.

"Oh brother…when will you learn…" he shook his head.

* * *

Pride smirked, watching as a angry Edward Elric walked out of the small house, now was his chance.

He moved out of sight, locating a little cozy family home not too far from where Elric was strolling about. Yes, this would be perfect.

The family inside was contently eating supper, a small boy was laughing when his mother wiped away the stains near his mouth.

And then their laughter ceased.

"Oh my god, honey!" the woman shouted in terror, clutching her son close to her as her husband was suddenly held up by what looked like black tentacles with red eyes.

"Dad!" the boy shouted, trying to squirm out of his mothers grip to aid his father.

"S-stay back!" his father commanded, trying to kick the appendages away but they only tightened their grip on him.

"How disgusting you humans are and so fragile," Pride smirked when the man shouted in pain as Pride broke his rib, "Your lives are so very short and filled with sorrow, why do you continue to live? Why do you bother?" Pride walked closer toward the mother and her child.

"Scream, scream in terror! Let everyone hear your terrified screams as I kill your husband in front of your very eyes!" Pride laughed in manic pleasure as he tightened his hold on the man, breaking another rib and another-

" _Pride!_ " Pride wasn't able to dodge the sharp blade fast enough, it cut his shadows in half, freeing the injured man as he fell to the floor, heaving and gasping for breath.

Edward Elric's amber eyes were glowing in rage as he glared at Pride the Homunculus, "Why the hell are you here?! Why did you attack them?!"

Pride smirked, not at all bothered by his severed shadows as new ones grew thanks to the light in the room.

"Edward Elric, let me show you true despair." Pride acted fast but the Alchemist was faster.

Ed dodged the oncoming attack, jumping over it and attempting to slice Pride in half before one of his shadows took the blow and another five restrained the young enraged male.

"What are you planning Pride?!" Edward growled, struggling hard against the shadows, Pride smiled as he effortlessly destroyed his automail arm, shattering it into thousands of pieces of screws, bolts and wires. Ed growled in anger, now he couldn't perform alchemy, he couldn't fight Pride.

"How foolish of you Edward, I thought you would be excited to enjoy the show," Pride smiled as his shadows moved toward the withering form of the father on the floor.

"No!" the woman shouted in fear as Edward struggled harder to help the man.

Pride froze as the little boy, their son, suddenly stood in front of his father, tears in his eyes but a determined expression on his face as his little hands were spread wide in a pathetic attempt to shield his father.

"I won't let you hurt my dad anymore! Get away from us!" the boy shouted, glaring at the body of Selim angrily, "Why are you hurting us?"

Pride chuckled, ordering his shadows to circle the boy that looked to be his host's age and size, "You foolish little boy, this will be the end of you,"

The shadows advanced.

The boy shouted angrily at Pride, "Why are you here?! Leave us alone! Go to your own mama and papa!"

Pride froze, his eyes wide in shock as his shadows froze mid-attack as well.

 _Go to your own mama and papa!_

 _Go to your own mama and papa!_

 _Mama_

 _Papa_

Pride's eyes widened further and he fell to the floor, the shadows releasing Edward as he clutched his head in despair, " _No!_ Not again! No!" Pride was shaking uncontrollably.

The images.

They were back.

Far stronger than before.

No…

No!

 _"_ _Selim, I'm so proud of you, my son," King Bradley petted his son's head proudly with a warm smile._

 _No!_

 _"_ _Selim! Please be careful!" his mother's worried voice carried over his laughter as he chased the dog around, his father watching with a smile._

 _No! Stop!_

"Stay back," Edward uttered softly as he healed the internal bleeding of the injured man, helping him limp toward his wife. Edward eyed the teary boy and Pride.

The boy, now confused over Pride's behavior, slowly walked toward him. Pride was shaking on his knees, clutching his face and head, tears streaming from his haunted eyes.

It couldn't be.

Were these… _feelings?_

No!

He was Pride!

The strongest of the Homunculi! His Father's favorite!

Yes, Father loved him and only him!

"What's wrong? Don't you have a mama and papa?" the boy asked sadly, now kneeling in front of Pride.

Pride's eyes widened in fury, "You vermin! Father loves me! I'm his favorite son!" the shadows shook as if hissing in anger.

The boy, unaware of the danger, smiled brightly, "Then why aren't you at home? I'm sure your mama and papa miss you a lot!"

 _Mama and papa miss you a lot!_

 _Miss you a lot!_

 _Selim!_

"No!" Pride moved away from the boy, he looked at the boy, then at the terrified parents.

"Jean! Come here!" his mother shouted, opening her arms wide to beckon her son to her. The boy ran immediately towards his mother, hugging her tightly and hugging his father in joy and fear.

"Papa!"

 _Papa…_

Selim's memories swept him away.

 _"_ _Papa, do you have to go?" a young Selim Bradley asked his father sadly._

 _"_ _No Selim, now why are you asking that?" the Führer's eyes blinked in surprise, petting his son's head._

 _"_ _You are away so often, you aren't at home a lot, mama is pretty sad about it," Selim clutched his father's shirt, afraid he would leave._

 _A tender, loving smile appeared on Bradley's face, "Now, now, I won't be going anywhere Selim. Remember, no matter how where I go or how far, I'll always return home to you and your mother,"_

 _Selim smiled happily, wrapping his little arms around his father's neck as he laughed in joy._

"No….I-I'm not…no…" tears rolled down Pride's face, "No…Father…he loves me…he loves me…I'm his f-favorite…"

Memories of Selim's parents appeared in his mind's eyes, the images of King Bradley and his mother.

"Selim…" Ed frowned, slowly walking closer to the emotionally broken Homunculus.

"Don't touch me Edward Elric!" a shadow shot out and harshly threw Ed away from him.

"Argh!" Ed cried out in pain as his back slammed painfully against the wall.

Pride was gone.

The shadows having swallowed him in their depths.

And sometimes, Edward thought the shadows of his past swallowed him as well.

* * *

"Pride?" Lust asked as she noticed the small Homunculus on the floor near their hideout, panting as if hurt.

Pride slowly opened his eyes, tears swimming in their depths as he was lost to Selim's memories.

Lust had carried him back to the hideout, keeping quiet about what she saw and Pride, for the first time in his life, had been thankful about it.

At night, the memories of Selim Bradley still haunted his sleep.

And sometimes, he thought they were his own.

 **I hope you enjoyed it! Sorry this one's a bit sad T_T Opinions are welcome! :3**


	13. Can't Keep Their Chains on Me

Hi guys! Ready for more? I hope so! ;) I listened to the song **"Not Gonna Die" by Skillet** as inspiration for this one shot! Thanks for the prompt **Lily**! ;) _**Lyrics of the song are in italics and bold!**_

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS :**

 **Lily** **:** Ah, thanks for telling me Lily! I like it better if I can call my readers by name (even if it is fake lol)! :D No problem! Greed's coming up next!

 **MyLifeIsALie : **Aye, will do! Yeah, you're right about that, I haven't read many fanfics which were centered around the Homunculi so I hope I'm portraying them half right ^_^ Nah, that's alright, I'll try and write that chapter too about Gluttony and Lust! O.O (embarrassed blush) Ah! Thanks so much! T_T (anime waterfall tears) You (and everyone else) have NO idea how happy I am to hear that I'm a half decent writer and that people can enjoy my stories!

 **Anonymous J : **Thanks a lot! I'll do a happy one with Maes & Gracia since I believe there are so many depressing one shots/stories about them . Maybe about how they met? I've got a few ideas for that already! :D

Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce you…Greed the Avaricious!

* * *

 **Can't Keep Their Chains on Me**

 ** _Death surrounds, my heartbeat's slowing down…_**

Greed grit his teeth tightly, heavy pants escaping him as he glared Father right in the eye.

"Greed," Father spread his arms wide with a smirk, "Why do you defy me so? You have everything thrown at your feet, money, power, anything you want you can obtain. Your greed should be sated, no?"

 ** _I won't take this world's abuse_**

Greed wiped his mouth clean of blood, all the while shooting his so called Father a venomous glare.

"Heh, sorry to disappoint ya pops, but I've always been a rebellious kid haven't I?" Greed covered himself in his Ultimate Shield s Father attempted to impale him again, he grit his teeth at the strain.

 ** _I won't give up or refuse!_**

Greed roared in fury, charging straight at Father and engaging him in close combat.

 ** _This is how it feels when you're bent and broken_**

 ** _This is how it feels when your dignity's stolen_**

Greed panted heavily, trying to free himself of Father's hold, the man's foot only dug deeper into Greed's unprotected neck.

 ** _When everything you love is leaving,_**

 ** _you hold on to what you believe in_**

Memories flashed before Greed's eyes, memories of his squad in his first life, Martel, Bido…everyone…

Violet eyes widened in rage, covering one fist in his shield before grabbing Father's foot, ripping it off and quickly standing up to his feet.

" _Greed! What now? He's too strong! You can't beat him on your own! We can't beat him!"_ Ling protested in their shared mind, cringing at Greed's exhausted condition.

"Now, I'm gonna do something I've never done before…" Greed panted, wiping his mouth clean again.

Before Father could straighten himself and launch another brutal attack at him, Greed turned around and ran as fast as he could.

"We can do this Ling!" Greed shouted, pushing himself to his limits, his muscles screaming at him in protest, his head was pounding, his heart or rather Ling's, felt like a caged bird, ready to burst free and fly away.

Greed's eyes widened as he felt Pride's shadows take a hold of him, restraining him of going any further.

 ** _Break their hold, cause I won't be controlled..._**

" _Greed!"_ Ling shouted in his head

"Damn it brat!" Greed ripped the shadows off his arms but they kept grabbing at him, his eyes narrowed in anger.

 ** _They can't keep their chains on me_**

Greed roared in rage, tearing the shadows holding him to shreds, he could hear Pride's voice carry over his screams but he paid it no mind, he just continued to run, away from his brethren, away from the man that created him, away from his past.

Greed panted, breaking another door off its hinges as he found his way to freedom, he and Ling both.

He continued to run as fast as he could, running away from the wretched hell hole he once used to call home.

 _"_ _Greed…"_ Ling's voice was sad and Greed briefly wondered why.

He finally stopped, panting with his hands resting on his knees as he tried to regain his breath. The Homunculus managed to find a secluded spot, perched on top of a roof, the moon shining it's soft glow over the houses.

Over houses that held families in them. Houses that were homes for those families.

Home…Family…

Things Greed didn't have. Things Greed desired to have. Things he could never have…

Greed frowned, punching the ground with his unprotected fist, he watched as the Philosopher's Stone inside him healed his broken bones, Ling's bones, and buried his face against his bent knee.

 _"_ _Greed…"_ Ling called out to him again, trying to comfort the broken Homunculus.

He had never seen Greed so shaken before, so vulnerable. He was always the cocky, confident guy, the guy who was a smooth talker and knew his way out of a tight spot.

It never occurred to Ling before that the Homunculi could actually feel human emotions…until now, seeing Greed's sobbing, broken form, perched alone on a roof, trying to shield himself from the world.

" _Hey…you're not alone in this Greed. You have me, Lan Fan and Fu…you also had Ed and everyone else,"_ Ling smiled knowing he could see it from within his consciousness.

The tears continued to stream down Greed's eyes, but a small smile grew nonetheless, "Thanks…."

"Ling," Greed smiled and so the two different but very alike men spent the night on the roof and Ling learned the true depth of Greed's desires.

He desired nothing more than to have real friends by his side.

Ling smiled and shook his head, realizing Greed had them all along but never realized it himself.

And suddenly, the world didn't look so dark and feel so cold anymore, suddenly there was light at the end of the tunnel.

Greed died on the Promised Day in the battle with Father and Ling had shed tears, taking his death the hardest.

However, when Ling was perched on a roof at night, mourning over his death alone, he swore he had heard the familiar voice of Greed as he soothed his sorrow, telling him the same words Ling had told him back then.

You're not alone.

* * *

Finished! Sorry for these depressing chapters . I promise next one will be funny and light! **Do you guys think I should write a one shot where all the human characters of FMA (Ed, Winry, Al, Riza, Roy…etc.) were the human counterparts of the seven Homunculi? Suggestions for their roles/counterparts are welcome! Thanks!**


	14. Flame Alchemy or the woman you love?

Hey guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter, dedicated to all the **Royai** fans out there (me included)! :D

* * *

 **Flame Alchemy or the woman you love?**

"You can't be serious!" Roy Mustang shouted in outrage as he glared at his Lieutenant's bare back.

Covered in a tattoo, the secrets to flame alchemy to be more exact, branded onto her by none other than her own late father, a Flame Alchemist of the highest caliber himself.

"I am. Please sir, I beg of you." Riza clutched her uniform tightly to her naked chest, feeling all too exposed, "Erase the burden of carrying my father's secret, I do not want it falling into the wrong hands," she looked at her superior over her shoulder.

Roy clutched his fist tightly, averting her gaze and looking to the side, "How do you expect me to do that?" he met her eyes again, daring her to repeat what she had said earlier that startled him so.

"Burn it off me," her gaze was as sharp and serious as ever, underlined with something fragile, vulnerable.

Roy's rage grew, "You know I can't! I will not endanger your health because of it!"

"You have to Colonel!" Riza's voice rose in volume surprisingly enough, "I can no longer live with this burden. I carried the secret of my father ever since he passed away! He told me to never show it to anyone without endangering the whole world! Tell me, what would you do Colonel?" Riza turned around, her uniform still covering her front protectively as she stared fiercely at her superior.

"You can't expect me to willingly injure you like that…" his voice lost its sharp edge, turning soft and pleading, his lips were set in a thin line, his gaze sad.

Riza's expression softened, her voice small and nothing above a whisper, "Please…Roy…" she met his stunned eyes at the use of his first name.

Despite knowing each-other for a very long time and having been through many things together, their relationship was known to be always professional, they even called each-other by surname while alone, never allowing their relationship to stray from Colonel and his trusted Lieutenant.

With great difficulty and a heavy heart, Roy shut his eyes tightly closed, "Alright…" Riza smiled sadly, nodding as she presented her back to him once again.

Roy waited a moment, before he slowly walked toward her until he was standing right behind her.

He frowned deeply, looking at his gloved hands and for the first time, he wished they were outside and it was raining so he wouldn't be able to use his alchemy now for something so atrocious and cruel to someone he held so close to his heart.

"Close your eyes…I'll make it quick," Riza bit her lip and nodded, closing her eyes and bracing herself for the immense pain she knew would follow.

The pain of her flesh searing and burning at his literally scalding touch made her clench her teeth tightly together to not make a sound, she didn't want to burden him anymore than she already did. The faint feeling of his gloved fingers touching her skin offered her comfort and she picked up on it that he used low flames to scorch her, nothing like his usual flame alchemy, she was grateful for that.

The pain was intense but it came as a surprise to Riza when it was relatively quickly over, she also took note that Roy didn't touch her whole back for it.

Confused, she opened her eyes and glanced over her shoulder at him. He wore a very tight, pained smile.

"I only erased the most important parts. Even if somebody did see it, they wouldn't be able to do anything with it since the key parts are missing," Roy sighed heavily, carefully, gently, caressing the irritated skin around the fresh burns.

She winced, he recoiled back.

Riza had tears in her eyes, tears of joy, finally freed from her father's burden, freed of carrying such a dangerous secret with her.

She was finally free.

"Thank you Colonel," she smiled.

"I hope now you can rest easier, Lieutenant," Roy smiled as well.

In the upcoming weeks, Roy helped Riza heal, making sure her pain was reduced to a minimum, taking her off active duty until he was sure her burns healed fully and she was ready to fight again.

They never told their colleagues and friends what happened, not even Hughes knew about it.

It was their little secret.

And that secret had haunted Roy's dreams ever since that day, until the day came where Mei had managed to heal Riza's injuries, erasing the scar and the burns left by Roy until nothing but her smooth skin remained again.

The scars were gone and Riza was happy about it, even when they were standing in front of a priest, in the presence of all the people they have faced so many hardships with, Roy could never forget that fateful day where he willingly agreed to injure the one person that always had mattered the most.

The person that always counted.

"I do," he could utter those words without any regrets or doubts.

But at times, when he held her close in their shared bed, memories of the past, of that day, continued to haunt him and rob him of his sleep.

Riza, however, could only remember the scalding yet comforting touch of a man she realized she had developed feelings for in her youth. That day, for her, was the day she was finally freed from her bonds.

She was free.

He moved on.

* * *

 **The end for this short one shot! Reviews are very welcome!** Should I write future chapters more light/funny or also serious/sad?


	15. The Day my world changed

**Hey everyone!** Thank you all for your continued support! I really enjoy reading all your wonderful reviews! Of course, if anyone has any complains or critics on my works you're of course free to write them down! After all, I can improve them that way a lot!

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily : **Thanks Lily! I'm glad you enjoy my one shots! :3

 **Anonymous J:** haha Really? Me too! And Nickelback too! In the recent years I've started to really like country music for some reason ^^ Yeah but Skillet was always my favorite :3 Well, I've been in something of a FMA-high recently, though I feel bad for neglecting my other stories, I just have sort of writers block for Final Fantasy 7 lately . Hope you enjoy this one shot!

 **Guest : **Seriously? Weird…I can access/see them just fine on . Try again later! Just tell me if it happens again. :)

 **Emma : **Sure thing Emma! I'll post it as soon as I can, though I think next chapter it should be ready ;) haha That's alright, I hope I will meet your expectations! :D

 **Guest 2 :** Ah thanks for the ideas! Scar = Wrath huh? Hmm…could be interesting since he was so angry at Central because of the war. Thanks for the great idea!

 **Panic : **haha hey there Panic, haven't heard from you in a while! :D Selim, King Bradley and Mrs. Bradley as a family? Do you mean without the whole Homunculus thing or…? I'll try to pull it off, but I can't promise it will be good ." Oh that's _Skillet_ I really like them as a band ^^ Thanks for the human counterpart tips! :D Ah, sibling bonding huh? Sure thing I hope I can write it good, there are so many awesome writers of FMA after all :3

 **R.I.P Maes Hughes, doting father, lovely husband and the best friend a certain Roy Mustang could ever have.**

* * *

 **The Day my world changed**

"Hughes…you've shown me the same picture at least eighty times in the last three minutes…" Roy rested his head on his hands against the desk, sighing heavily.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no! This one's a different picture! See? Look! Alicia is wearing a differently colored ribbon! See!? Isn't she absolutely adorable? Oh and did I show you this picture of my beloved Gracia? She is so beautiful isn't she? The most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on!" Maes Hughes kissed the photo of his two most important women in his life, fawning over them.

Roy shook his head, sighing in exasperation as his trusted Lieutenant strolled into the room, files tucked securely under her arm.

"Colonel," she nodded, depositing the files on his desk in front of him, "I have the files you requested-"

"Ah! Riza! Look! Look! Isn't she _cute_?! Look at her cute little button nose! And those small fingers! Look here, in this picture, _I_ bought her this dress! Alicia was so happy! And look! Here, Alicia and Gracia wear the same dress! I also bought one for the most wonderful wife and mother in the whole world! Aren't they sweet?! Look at them! LOOK AT THEM!" Hughes pressed the different photos of his family closer and closer to Riza, nearly blinding her.

She sighed with a smile, gently prying his hands away, "They are very beautiful, Hughes." She smiled warmly, taking the time to look at the pictures the over eccentric male was fawning over so fondly.

Roy rested his chin on his palm, "I think I memorized all of these pictures by date." Riza shot her superior a stern look and he immediately straightened in his seat at her glare.

"Oh Roy, you're just jealous you don't have such a lovely wife and daughter! Look at little green you! Such a jealous man!" Hughes teased playfully, presenting Roy with another array of pictures of his wife and child.

"Hughes…" Roy tried very hard not to threaten his friend to burn his butt off again and chase him around with his flames.

"Nawww, look at them! Such _cuuutiiess_!"

"Same as ever I see, Major," Edward Elric and his brother Alphonse strolled into the room, smiling.

"Hello Edward, Alphonse," Riza nodded to them and Ed nodded back.

"Fullmetal," Roy smirked, nodding to both brothers, they nodded back.

"Ah! Ed! Say, where's your cute little mechanic? Winry, was it?" Hughes wiggled his eyebrows, slinging an arm around Edward's shoulders.

The reaction was immediate.

"SHE'S JUST MY MECHANIC DAMN TI!" Al had to hold his brother back from jumping on Hughes and physically harming him.

After he calmed down, Hughes showed him the various pictures of Gracia and Alicia.

"Say Major," Hughes turned to look at Ed, "How did you even meet Mrs. Hughes?" Hughes blinked before a fond look crossed his face, his expression soft and unburdened.

"Ah…how I met my darling Gracia…it was on a sunny day..."

"Please shoot me now Lieutenant," Roy droned, slapping a hand to his face in exasperation. Riza ignored him, smiling at Hughes and listening eagerly for his story.

"Well, as I was saying before I was so _rudely_ interrupted by the little green monster…" Hughes shot Roy a pointed look over the rim of his glasses before he cleared his throat, "Right, well, I met my beloved Gracia when Roy and I were just appointed as rookies here in Central…"

* * *

"Going to the marketplace again Hughes?" Roy Mustang smirked, watching with a smug grin as his friend fixed his hair neatly and straightened his blue uniform.

"Ugh…Roy…do we have to go through this again? I just like going to the marketplace, knock it off with your crazy theories!" Maes Hughes, twenty-five years of age, shouted to his best friend.

"Right…and I love reading geography books in my spare time, who do you wanna convince here anyway?" Hughes sighed heavily and suddenly he was in his friend's face on the desk, staring at him with narrowed, unreadable eyes.

"We both know you read porn magazines in your spare time, stop being a smartass with me." Hughes sighed, running a hand through his hair nervously with a small, soft smile, "She…she goes to the marketplace every Tuesday and Friday…the last few times I was there by chance, we talked a bit. She's really nice and very beautiful."

"Ah, now we are getting somewhere, now who's that lovely lady if I may ask? Or is it perhaps a certain gentleman you don't want me to know about hmm?" Roy's eyes were twinkling in mirth as his best friend nearly gave him a black eye.

"Ha ha, very funny. Her name is Gracia and she is definitely not the kind of woman you usually…trifle with," he shot his friend a pointed look, who was known as a womanizer and charmer.

Roy crossed his arms, "Well, I beg your pardon, but when have I-"

"Sir," Riza Hawkeye strolled into the room, wearing the same blue uniform as her friends and colleagues.

"R-Riza, what a nice surprise," Roy cleared his throat, straightening in his chair. Hughes had a devilish grin on his face as he headed for the door.

"Well then kids, I'll leave you to yourselves! Riza, watch where his hands go, god knows he may not wash them after he's sulking alone in the dark!" Hughes quickly shut the door before he was hit on the head by a stapler, Roy's enraged shouts carrying well over the corridor as his best friend kept grinning all the way to the market.

Teasing Roy was one of his favorite hobbies and sometimes, Hughes had the hunch it was his only hobby.

As Hughes was looking at a few apples by the stand he spotted Gracia just a few stands away, sorting out her groceries in her bags.

Hughes smiled like a fool, quickly combing through his hair again and straightening his uniform for the umpteenth time before he was confident enough to meet her.

Gracia had already spotted him by the time he reached her, she smiled in delight and waved, "Oh, Maes!" Hughes felt like he would burst into colorful confetti at her beautiful, angelic voice.

He almost froze when she ran to hug him, uh…

What was he supposed to do?!

Mayday! Mayday! The bird was falling! The bird was falling!

MAYDAY!

Hughes blinked, not knowing what to do with his arms as he awkwardly wrapped them around her shoulders, "H-hey there Gracia, long time no see huh?"

He had a feeling like the bird was long dead because of his awkward stuttering.

"Yes, where were you? I…I was worried when I didn't see you at the marketplace anymore, I thought something happened," worried eyes glanced up at him and Hughes's expression softened as his nerves eased.

Aaaaand the bird was alive like a flying phoenix.

They broke apart slowly and Hughes had to smile down at her, "I'm sorry for worrying you Gracia, I was sent to a mission and there were some delays, but now I'm back." He smiled down at her tenderly, feeling his heart beat furiously in his chest.

"Would you like to eat something? I haven't eaten anything yet…" Gracia blushed as she asked him and Hughes found it to be so very cute.

"Sure, I've got time," he offered her his arm and took the heavy bags from her, Gracia smiled and wound her arm with his.

Hughes felt like jumping up and down in excitement, but refrained from doing so, instead he opted to smile like an idiot as he and Gracia talked about many things, learning to get to know each-other as well.

The months Hughes spent with her were the happiest he ever experienced, they grew closer as well, so close, that Hughes was confident to tell her about his dark past, the war, the people he killed, everything.

To his surprise, she understood and stood by his side, helping him fending off his demons.

The first time they shared a bed, it had been a year after they've started to date since Hughes didn't want to rush anything at all with her, from then on it was just beautiful.

He may be working for the military but when he was with her, his whole world did a back flip, his stomach still felt like it had those butterflies in it, his heart still beat furiously when he gazed upon her beauty and kind nature.

Gracia was like a ray of sunshine in his previously dark, cold world where the dark clouds had ruled and fogged his mind. But she made everything better.

And years later, they had Alicia.

Hughes had a lot to fight for, his friends, his family…everything.

* * *

"Wow…so that's how you met Mrs. Hughes?" Al asked amazed, resting his head against his gloved, metal hands.

"Mhm, that's how I met the love of my life…" Hughes wiped away a tear from his eye happily.

Roy was snoring on the desk and Hughes draped himself over his superior, crying waterfall tears on his back, "Rooooyy! Oh why are you so cruel to meee?!"

Riza sighed, a calm, warm look on her face as she turned to the two brothers, "Apologies, Edward, Alphonse. Would you like to eat something? My treat," she smiled as the two boys cheered happily.

"Really? Thanks Lieutenant! We're actually pretty hungry…" Ed patted his belly, growling noises emitting from them as Al scratched the back of his helmet and thanked Riza sincerely.

Roy and Hughes were still grappling with each-other by the time they left.

"Hughes! Knock it off! I won't look at those pictures again! I've looked at them for at least a hundred times!" Roy shoved Hughes' face out his personal space, trying to pry his insistent hands away holding various pictures of his darling daughter and his loving wife.

Some things never changed.

It was a good thing that Hughes never would, because his presence changed so many lives of all his friends, for the better.

Roy smiled despite his playful bickering with his best friend, a soft look crossing his face as he sighed and played along.

 **The end! I really hope it was good!**


	16. Freedom outta my grasp

Hey everyone! Oh gee, reading your reviews I get the feeling like my stories are getting some of you in near trouble huh? :3 haha Well…always when I'm far too impatient and eager for a story and see a update I squeal for half an hour before I (somewhat) compose myself and then I finally notice my friend asked me a question XD Yup, little ol' awkward me ^_^

This is identical to my previous one shot **_Can't keep their chains on me_** with Greed fleeing from Father but at first **NOT** succeeding in escaping his clutches! Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

 **Freedom outta my grasp**

"God damn it!" Greed winced in pain, feeling the immense pain shooting through his body at the gaping wound in his side, he couldn't put up his shield if he had to regenerate, Father knew that well.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath, feeling Pride's shadows dragging him across the hard ground toward his doom.

After regenerating, Greed covered himself in his ultimate shield and dug his claws into the ground, struggling in vain to free himself.

His violet eyes widened when he coughed out blood when Father suddenly slammed his whole weight on his back, almost breaking his spine if not for the shield covering him.

 _"_ _Greed! Let me take over! This is too dangerous, we have to get out!"_ Ling shouted frantically in their shared mind, watching as Greed struggled to crawl to his knees.

" _Heh, not a chance in hell prince! Ya think you can go against these guys? Fat chance! I'll get us outta here, you just lean back and enjoy the show!"_

Greed slammed his elbow hard against Father's side, with his other hand he cut the shadows off his body, immediately sprinting away from the duo.

Then she came.

Lust.

"Hey Lusty, lookin' good as always," Greed threw a comment her and attempted to run pass her but she suddenly tried to dig her metallic nails into his body, thankfully his shield was still up.

"You know it's useless with my shield up girlie!" Greed taunted, continuing to run, until Lust suddenly grabbed him and threw him against the wall, _hard_.

Greed coughed, hanging his head against his chest, one eye closed in pain, "Heh, guess I get so distracted by your looks that I forget what a bitch and pain in the ass you really are," Greed attempted to sit up, but found one of his unprotected arms to be impaled by Lust's nail.

Damn it all to hell.

"Flattering me again Greed? Pity, you would have been one of the leading Homunculi if you weren't so stubborn and selfish," she frowned, her sharp teeth showing.

"Hate to break it to ya, but I ain't called Greed the Avaricious for nothin'." Greed coughed out blood, he winced again as Lust suddenly started to slowly, painfully, drag her nail up his arm, tearing open flesh, tendons, nerves, everything.

" _Argh! Greed! Let me help!"_ Greed's eyes widened as he felt Ling trying to take over, he narrowed his eyes and with a cry of anger and pain, ripped out Lust's nail and ran again, letting his stone heal his injuries.

Greed suppressed Ling, shutting him off and not letting him gain control.

" _Greed what the hell are you doing?!"_ Ling tried to take over again, but Greed had a firm lock.

" _Knock it off kid! I'm trying to save our ass! If you take over you'll lose the only protection you have against those bastards! Your speedy legs ain't nothing without my shield!"_ Greed dodged Lust's nails and Pride's shadows, speeding up his pace.

Greed moved left and right, grinning when he saw his ticket to freedom, it was night now, which meant Pride was useless and Lust wouldn't dare take him on without some back up.

Only thing to worry about?

He forgot about his dear daddy.

Greed was violently flung back by the arm, he slammed hard against the concrete and was about to sit up until Father slammed his foot against his stomach and almost choked him with his hand on his throat.

"Greed, don't you know that misbehaved children are punished?" Father gazed down at him with a blank, cold expression, tightening his grip around his throat.

Greed offered him a defiant, strained grin, "P-punished huh? Sorry pops, I'm a stubborn son of a bitch, yer gonna have a h-hard time beating me with a stick," Greed spit out blood right in Father's face.

" _Greed!"_ Ling shouted in fear and worry for his friend.

" _Listen princy, I'm gonna shut you off completely alright? I hate takin' away your freedom but I can't let ya see shit like that ok? When the old man's as angry as he is now, he ain't playing nice. Sweet dreams now Ling, you'll wake up when this whole shit is over,"_ Greed closed his eyes in concentration, mentally blocking out Ling's chi as well as his control, temporarily though.

A smile grew on Greed's face as he opened his eyes to glare up at Father.

" _No need to worry the kid about it, I grew up with the strict hand after all. I just hope my shield will hold up and not injure Ling damn it,"_ he looked to the side where Lust and Pride were approaching him, " _Ok…this is bad. If I regenerate then I won't have much time for my shield to cover me, where the hell is that good-for-nothing runt Elric when ya need him?"_

Greed sighed and grinned widely up at Father, "Try to torture me all ya want pops, but ya can't beat discipline into me. I was always a troublemaker wasn't I?"

With that, Greed felt a burning hot sensation.

Then everything went dark.

* * *

 _"_ _G-Greed?"_ Ling slowly regained control of his mind, managing to link his and Greed's mindsets together again, " _Ugh…Greed…what…where…where are we?"_

Greed's/Ling's body was laying face down in front of Central's headquarters', his black shirt and pants were torn, blood on various parts, Greed himself seemed to be unconscious.

" _H-hey partner, sorry to keep ya waitin'. Hope ya had a nice nap,_ " Greed was in pain, immense pain, Ling could sense it.

" _Greed! What the hell happened?! Why are we here?! What happened with Father and the other Homunculi?! What happened to you?!"_ Ling was desperate for answers, he had no idea what happened and why Greed was looking half dead. Ling himself didn't feel any pain at all.

" _Stop shoutin' will ya? My ears are ringing. Ya don't need to know that, don't wanna scare the children do ya?"_

" _Children? What-"_

"Ling!" Edward Elric and Al with Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye in tow, ran towards his motionless body.

Violet eyes slowly opened, blood covering one of them, as Greed gazed upon panicked, worried amber eyes of one Edward Elric.

"Hey kid…took ya long enough," Greed winced at the pain he felt.

"Greed! What happened?! Why are you hurt?! What happened to Ling?!" Edward scanned him from head to toe, he was covered in bruises and blood.

"Long story kid, not suited for kids under the height of a runt," Greed smirked weakly, "The prince's fine, had a nice nap too." He was mildly surprised on how Edward wasn't fazed at all by his comment about his height, even if the kid grew taller.

"The Homunculus did this didn't he?" Roy asked, his eyes narrowing in realization.

Edward's eyes widened, "No way! They captured you Greed?! Why?! How?!"

Greed grinned weakly, his usual cocky grin losing its edge, " The Colonel's sure perceptive ain't he? B-buy him a lollipop for me. Shit happens when daddy gets mad at a troublemaker kid like me ya know? Daddy complex, shit like that, anyway, can I get some water or somethin'? I feel like I've been swallowing sand all day," he coughed, blood slowly trickling down his chin.

"Al!" Alphonse quickly picked Greed up, following his elder brother inside to get him treated.

"Thanks kid, ya got a big heart for a piece of metal," Greed whispered weakly, opening an eye just so to look up at Al.

"Don't worry, Greed, Ling, we will take care of you. You're safe here, nothing will happen," Greed's open eye widened slightly, before he smiled as he allowed himself to rely on a kid to carry him even if his soul was strapped to a piece of armor larger than him.

"I'm alright, Homunculi heal after all. Make sure princy doesn't get all pissy and whiney," he dropped his joking tone for a moment, turning deadly serious, "Be prepared, maybe they followed me here,"

With that Greed lost consciousness, the darkness swallowing him in it's cold grasp as the last thing he saw and heard were the worried amber eyes of Edward and multiple voices shouting his name worriedly.

Somewhere in this eternal darkness where he was currently floating in, he smiled.

For the first time in his life, Greed felt content. His previous hunger to posses anything and everything and to swallow the whole world gone.

He learned he had friends, friends that are worried about him and that he can rely on when he gets his ass kicked.

* * *

He heard a beeping sound, the next thing he heard were whispers.

"He's awake!" the oddly familiar voice sounded but Greed couldn't believe it, didn't want to.

What the hell? Ling?

Nah, it couldn't be. He couldn't be hearing Ling out of his mind right? He was hallucinating, great.

"Greed, hey, can you hear me? Greed!" Greed slowly opened his violet eyes, squinting at the light that he had to get used to.

"What the-….Ling?" he must be dreaming.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, partner," Ling greeted happily, standing beside Edward, Al, Roy and Riza as well as several other people.

"How…why…"

"I don't know myself, but we are two separate beings now," Ling smiled, grinning at Greed.

Greed smiled, chuckling softly, "Damn…I get my ass handed to me one time and I have to see your ugly mug now," he grinned when Ling pouted in displeasure, "Wait…what do I look like now?"

"You still look like me, or well, similar. I gotta say though, my face is more handsome," he stuck his tongue out at Greed.

"Nice try kid, it's the same face, though I'm a damn stud and you're a wimp," Greed grinned widely when Ling glared at him, bickering back and forth on who was more of a stud.

"Great…now we got two idiots to worry about…" Ed slapped a hand to his forehead, "At least now I know what to call them,"

"I don't know about this brother…if a bored Ling is too much for Fu and Lan Fan to handle and Xing itself….then…what would happen if bored Greed _and_ Ling were to think of pranks together?"

Ed's eyes widened, "Oh, oh,"

* * *

The end for this chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed it! Reviews and opinions are welcomed! **QUESTION: Should I write more chapters where Greed and Ling don't share the same body?**


	17. The Routine Check-up or not?

Hi everyone! I hope you all are in the mood for some laughter and fun! Here's another chapter!

 **Note : **As long as my holidays are still running, I have plenty of time to put my mind to work on my fanfics but unfortunately when school starts, on the 5th of September, then the duration between updates will be longer and fewer in between I fear . I'm sorry in advance for it but unfortunately I can't neglect my (soon-to-be) school duties. But I'll try to drop in a one shot every once in a while when I don't have as much homework…etc. :D Thanks for your understanding guys!

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily : **W-wow, s-seriously (asks bewildered and almost falls out of chair) Oh man thank you so much Lily! *_* haha You can't imagine how HAPPY, EXCITED, LOVED I felt reading all these wonderful reviews! Will do (about your chapter request)! (dances happily) Oh, about your questions: #2: Oh about that…for plot reasons :P haha nah, I have a theory but it's not 100% foolproof, I was thinking of doing it like that; Greed's "Ling lookalike form" is separated from Ling's actual body by a combination of Ling's blood/DNA and the Philosopher's Stone, which means Ling is himself and Greed shares physical similarities with Ling. #3: Ah thanks! I thought I was writing far too many serious fanfics so I hope to write a few more lighter ones in the future, hope that's not too cliché ^_^" #4: Me too!(about reading a fanfic multiple times) Seriously? T_T (anime tears) oh god thank you so much! Seriously! Thanks! (hugs)

 **Emma : **Of course I did! I try to fulfill each and every one of the requests from my dear readers as good as I can, even though I don't always succeed :P Thanks for your review Emma! :D

 **Penguin19 : **Hey there girl (sorry if you aren't a girl, I just randomly wrote that :P ) Thanks so much! Haha well I guess my username would be Lion18 (since I love lions and I'm 18) if I would have to choose one as a Guest review :3

* * *

 **The Routine Check-up or not?**

Ed sighed as he waited somewhat patiently for Winry to finish ogling the window pane of a mechanic shop, eyeing the various mechanical parts of automail inside.

They were sent by Pinako to buy groceries…they should have _actually_ been back by now but they got…sidetracked.

As Edward was carrying the heavier bags he yawned and covered his mouth with his hand, his human hand. Ed spread his human fingers slightly, on the side where his automail arm used to be. He definitely needed some getting used to that was for sure.

Sometimes, when he would wake up in his own room he had built for himself, back then when he was able to use alchemy, he would still be slightly surprised when he would see that both of his arms were made of flesh and blood. Ed sighed as he tapped his foot impatiently.

"Winry…" he droned, trying to catch her attention so they could _finally_ go home and _eat_. He was hungry damn it and Al was too. Ever since his younger brother gained his body back and gained enough pounds to be considered "normal" for his height and age, he was eating more than Ed himself, at least at random times.

Often when Greedling, Lan Fan, Colonel (he couldn't believe he was still calling him that despite Mustang being Führer now), Hawkeye and Mei, they, most often Greed/Ling, would joke about Al being pregnant. Interestingly enough, Mei would be blushing like a rose whenever anyone joked about it.

Ed knew there was something going on between his brother and the Xing princess but he only occasionally teased him about, his brother was rather shy and sweet, he would tell Ed whenever he was ready.

Back to the present with the mechanic freak…

"Oi, automail freak, what the hell are you looking at that is so-" as Ed sneaked a peek at the window pane of the shop, he realized with a start that it _wasn't_ a automail shop.

It was a jewelry store.

Winry was looking at a simple, silver ring as Ed carefully followed her gaze. It was nothing special, rather bland and simple. Then again, Winry never asked or necessarily wanted any things with too much "bling" as far as Ed knew.

Ed walked inside the shop, Winry completely absorbed into the ring, he asked the jeweler for the ring and immediately purchased it, not bothering to worry about money. He was a former State Alchemist after all, not to mention something the public considered a hero for saving the world, in truth Ed never viewed himself as such, since he alone wasn't responsible for saving the world.

When Ed exited the shop, the box containing the ring safely stored in his pocket, he saw Winry was glued to the same spot he had left her in. The blond sighed.

"Win…" he shook her shoulder gently, growing more and more impatient the more Winry ignored him, "Winry…hey…come on…"

Ed growled and decided to take drastic measures.

He took a deep breath and adjusted the bags in one arm, rolling up the sleeves of his button up, light blue shirt. It was now or never.

"WINRY LET'S GO HOME ALREADY!" he shouted like a madman as he wrapped one arm around her waist and tried to pull her away from the shop.

Winry snapped out of her trance immediately and fought back, of course, "EDWARD! PUT ME DOWN! WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING YOU ALCHEMY FREAK?!" Winry grit her teeth, trying to disentangle herself from her childhood friend.

"WE HAVE TO GO HOME TO AL AND GRANNY! THEY'RE STARVING TO DEATH BECAUSE OF YOU!" Ed dropped the groceries on the ground carefully and wrapped both his arms around her waist to put more strength in his pulls. He didn't notice the curious stares of the people around them.

"Oh my, isn't that Edward Elric? I didn't know he and Winry had a thing going on…" one guy scratched his head as he watched the pair with mixed feelings.

"What? Edward and Winry? About time! I've been waiting for years for those two to realize it!" a middle aged man snorted with crossed arms.

"ED! STOP IT! I WANNA STAY!" Winry gripped the side of the window pane with all her might, trying to get away from Ed.

Curse him for training.

Edward finally ripped her away from the store and hauled her over one broad shoulder, picking up the groceries with the other.

With that he walked through town like it was the most normal thing having a screaming, punching young woman over his shoulder.

He greeted several people he knew by face on the way, waving and grinning at them as if Winry wasn't punching at his back like a madwoman.

"EDWARD! Let me go already! I'm wearing a dress mind you! People may see under my dress you idiot!" Winry cried, continuing to beat her fists against Ed's back.

Where was her trusty wrench when she needed it?

Ed's eyes widened in realization as his cheek rested lightly against her hip, not even noticing the contact. His face turned tomato red in a matter of seconds and he, in a reflexive, impulsive way, quickly wrapped both hands over her rump.

Winry erupted like a volcano.

"YOU PERVERT!" she managed to land a kick at his side, nearly causing him to fall backward before he stabilized himself and firmly shut her legs closed against his chest, barking at her back angrily.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM WOMAN?! I'M TRYING TO PREVENT YOU FROM FLASHING ANY GUY AND YOU'RE KICKING ME!"

"BECAUSE YOU'RE BEING A PERVERT AND TOUCHING ME!" her face was incredibly red as she rested one hand over her eyes.

Edward blushed, frowning as he _still_ kept a hand protectively over her butt, trying hard not to focus on the feeling of his hand over the soft, curvy-

"Argh! Damn it! Just s-shut up and hold onto me!" Edward mumbled something else under his breath as he felt Winry's hands ghost over his back as she tried to find some leverage.

"A-alright," Winry huffed, "Alchemy freak," Ed shot her hips a dirty look but quickly averted his gaze as he felt his cheeks heat up.

* * *

Halfway home, Ed lowered Winry carefully down to the ground.

"My back is killing me!" Ed bent this way and that, trying to get feeling back in his shoulder and back.

"Oh stop whining Edward! I didn't beg you to manhandle me like that!" the mechanic crossed her arms, a irritated look on her face.

"Sorry…" Ed scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment, thinking over the reason why he even picked up Winry and rushed home like that in the first place.

Guys were staring at Winry.

Ed's blood had been boiling.

For reasons he didn't want to necessarily deepen, his anger skyrocketed as he caught quite a few men ogling Winry from her bent position at the window pane. They completely ignored Edward at her side and he had wished he still had his automail arm, so he could scare them off by showing them his sharp new blade.

He was ripped out of his thoughts when he almost tripped, quite literally, over Winry. Ed just managed to stop himself, flailing with his arms as his gaze shot down to her to see what _the hell_ she was _doing_.

"Uhh….W-Winry?" Ed's eyes almost bulged out of his head as he rapidly blinked down at the mop of blonde hair at eye level with his…crotch. Ed frantically looked around himself, feeling himself sweating buckets and waterfalls in his shoes.

"What does it look like I'm doing Ed? Your leg just sounded funny, it has been a long time since I checked your leg. That was BEFORE the Promised Day you know?" Winry scolded, concentrating on testing Ed's automail leg.

A relieved sigh left Edward's lips as he thought he was going delirious from the heat.

"What were you thinking what I was doing anyway?" Winry asked him as she straightened up with her hands on her hips.

Ed blanched, paling at the question.

"Uhh…n-nothing! I-I don't know w-what you mean! I had n-no idea what you were doing!" Ed scratched the back of his neck, grabbing her wrist and quickly sprinting for the Rockbell-Elric home.

This woman would kill him one day, Ed was sure of it.

Then she insisted on checking on his automail…

Shit.

* * *

 **Cliffhanger! ;) Tell me what you think will happen in the next chapter! Hihi** I hope you don't mind if I wrote this little one shot based on my own crazy ideas! I promise your own prompts will come soon! (sweat drop)


	18. The Routine Check-up or not? Part 2

Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for your awesome support, I think these one shot collections wouldn't even be this long without you guys!

 **QUESTION:** Should I try to write **steamy** scenes featuring various couples ? (EdWin, AlMei, Royai, Greedling &Lan Fan...etc.) I can't promise they would turn out good, since I never really wrote them before but I'll give it a shot! ^^

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEW:**

 **Lily : **haha Thanks lots! ^_^ Course I'm happy! :3

 **Penguin19 : **Right? Lions are great ^^ haha Hmm…ALMOST, I'm a little tease concerning kisses but they WILL come! :D

 **Anonymous J : **Seriously? In 2 weeks? Aw man . That's harsh. I love writing EdWin scenes, I think me and my future (nonexistent) boyfriend will be like that too :3 haha

Enjoy the SECOND part of " **The Routine Check-Up or not?"** :D

* * *

 **The Routine Check-Up or not? Part 2**

"There you are, where have you been so long?" Pinako asked as she smoked her pipe, petting old Den on her head.

Den barked as if to say " _Yeah, where have you been?"_

"Tch, ask the automail freak here, she kept being distracted by that stupid shop-oof!" Winry swiftly elbowed Ed in the ribs a little _too_ hard.

Winry laughed nervously, smiling sweetly at her short grandmother, "I'm so sorry Granny! Ed's been nothing but noisy not to mention really rude! But let's make some dinner now shall we?" as soon as Pinako turned her back to enter the house, Winry shot Ed a dirty look and he narrowed his eyes at her in turn.

Dinner was…eventful to say the least.

It was Winry's turn to cook, "Uhh….what is this?" Ed slowly, hesitantly, lifted his fork at eye level, watching as little… _tentacles_ hung by his fork.

 _What the hell?!_

"What the hell is this Winry!? Are ya trying to kill us?!" Ed stuck his tongue out and pushed the bowl away, crossing his arms like a irritated child.

Den barked and pressed her ears flat against her head, whining in dismay. Edward smiled and petted her head, "Yeah girl I know. I don't like Winry's cooking too," Ed chuckled when Den barked and licked his hand.

Winry was holding a ladle in her hands, waving it threateningly at Ed's face, "Figures Edward! You always have something to complain about! Why don't _you_ cook if you don't like my cooking? Granny likes it!" Winry smiled sweetly at her grandmother, who was happily eating the fish/octopus stew.

Ed mumbled something under his breath, something which suspiciously sounded like 'I can't cook'.

As Edward and Winry bickered back and forth, Pinako shifted her gaze between the two arguing young adults. She sighed heavily and fixed Edward and Winry with a stern glare, "Winry, didn't you mention something about Edward's automail sounding funny?" she pointedly looked at their work room.

"Oh….uh..yeah I guess," Winry blinked, the fight forgotten, Edward blinked rapidly and looked at Winry, then sighed and followed Winry into the work room.

"Alright, alright let's get this over with already," Edward groaned, ruffling up his pants leg.

Winry closed the door and looked at Edward's sitting form, "Um, actually you would need to take off y-your pants, Edward," she blushed, pretending to be busy sorting out her tools on the work bench to hide her suddenly flaming cheeks.

"W-WHAT?!" Edward shot up, protectively bending one leg up and positioned his hands in a karate chop motion, looking at Winry as if she were insane.

"Oh c-come on! Don't be such a stubborn man and take off your clothes!" Winry barked back, her hands on her hips as she glared at her childhood friend.

Both froze and for a moment there was absolute silence in the room.

As if on cue, the screaming match started, Edward was first, "WHAT THE HELL AUTOMAIL FREAK?! THAT'S SEXUAL HARRASSMENT! I KNEW ALL ALONG YOU WERE A SECRET PERVERT! HA!" Edward pointed a finger at Winry's tomato face, his own similarly red.

"SEXUAL HARASSMENT?! OH REALLY?! WHO WAS THE PERVERT WHEN YOU WERE FEELING ME UP HUH?!"

"I WASN'T FEELING YOU UP! I DID THAT OUT OF SELF DEFENSE!"

"SELF-DEFENSE FROM WHAT YOU PERVERT?!"

"STOP CALLING ME PERVERT! YO KEPT KICKING ME!"

"SHUT UP YOU LITTLE-"

"Ah, ah, aaahhh, I'm not short anymore? See? I'm taller than you!" Edward grinned wickedly as he moved close to Winry and rapidly moved his hand above her head, indicating the height difference between them.

"Shut up!" she threw her wrench at him and Edward ducked out of the way just in time, then Winry turned serious, "Come on Edward! Just…just take off your pants! And your shirt, I need to check on those bolts near your arm," she mumbled, this time actually searching out the correct tools she needed for fixing his leg.

Edward looked like he wanted to continue arguing but he thought better of it and instead slumped his broad shoulders, his fingers undoing his belt and reluctantly taking off his pants, his simple, pale blue boxers becoming visible as he discarded his pants on a nearby stool.

He sat on the small stool nearest to the work bench, crossing his arms and pouting angrily as he rested his foot against his propped knee, waiting.

"Tch, best mechanic my ass,"

"What did you say?!" Winry turned around, holding a screwdriver in her hands this time.

"Nothing…" Edward huffed, looking away from her blushing face.

What the hell was wrong _now_? He took off his pants like she said, why was she getting red? What was she getting angry _for_? Women…he would never understand them.

Even Al seemed to have better luck with Mei than he was progressing with Winry, or better yet, not progressing at all. He banished those thoughts to the back of his mind as he perked up when Winry suddenly took off the top of her overall.

"W-what are you doing?!" amber eyes were wide and glued to her familiar black top with a white stripe in the middle where the zipper was.

"I'm taking off part of my overall so I won't sweat so much, genius," she growled at him in dismay as she tied her overall at her waist and donned black gloves on.

Winry sat on a smaller, lower stool and instructed him to stretch his leg out, Ed did as he was told and for the majority of the time Winry was working on his leg, it was surprisingly enough peaceful.

Then came the next problem.

He had to take off his shirt.

"Why do I have to get naked all of a sudden?! I don't even have a automail arm anymore and you still want me to take off my shirt!" Ed blushed as he crossed his arms defensively.

Winry sighed and grit her teeth," _Edward_ , I have to check on the bolts that are still in your skin. Remember what the doctor said, he said to check on them at least twice a month, especially after you do physical labor," she had a point, but he wouldn't be Edward Elric if he backed down so easily.

"I still don't see why it's necessary. That doc is crazy,"

"Listen to me you idiot, if they don't get checked there is a chance that they may burden your nerves and your arm could be paralyzed!" she shouted angrily and worriedly, trying to make him understand how important it was to do these check-ups.

Winry frowned, biting her lower lip in sadness, "If you don't want to that badly then you can go to another automail mechanic-"

"Don't be stupid!" Edward's sudden burst of anger surprised Winry her mouth falling open but no words coming out.

"Of course I won't search for another mechanic! Without you I would have never gotten our bodies back, you were the one that saved my life along with Granny! No other mechanic would willingly go into war areas just to fix automail! I don't _want_ another mechanic you idiot!" Edward was serious, glaring at Winry as he stood tall with his arms crossed.

"Fine, take a look," he sighed after a minute of silence and took off his button up shirt, hanging it over the stool his pants were on.

Winry stood frozen in front of Edward, for a moment not fully registering what happened, then a genuine smile grew on her face and she nodded.

She carefully fingered the taut skin around the bolts, "Does this hurt Ed?" her voice was softer now, carefully pressing the skin around the pieces of metal.

Edward blushed, turning his head away when he realized just how _close_ she was, feeling her warm breath ghosting over his collarbone and chest was getting uncomfortable. Was it _always_ this hot here?

"No," he answered simply, slowly turning his head to watch her concentrated expression, then how her fingers tenderly ran over his collarbone and shoulder, looking for any abnormal reactions.

He yelped in pain.

"Ouch!" Ed gripped his forearm with blinding speed and Winry drew back briefly before her expression changed to one of worry.

"Ed! What's wrong? Where does it hurt?" she gently pried away his fingers from his forearm, scanning the taut skin on his forearm.

"S-sorry, you just hit a nerve there, I kinda pulled a muscle yesterday when I was sparring with Greed and Ling. I thought Al had been enough for me when we were young but two against one? That was unfair…I wished they shared the same body again…they were funnier when they bickered over who would take control…" Ed pouted before he hissed when Winry lightly pressed against the pulled muscle again.

She furrowed her eyebrows in mild worry, "I told you to take it easy, it's not like you're fat or anything,"

A very wicked and teasing smile suddenly grew on Ed's face, "Oh? So you wanna say I'm 'buff'?" he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Stop using Greed's vocabulary! And _no_ that's _not_ what I meant! I just stated a fact; you aren't fat. That's it. Stop thinking Edward," she rolled her eyes, her cheeks a light pink.

Ed smirked and then as he eyed her earrings, he remembered he bought her that ring at the store earlier.

He gently grabbed her hands and removed them from his arm, "Wait here," Ed turned around and moved to his pants, fishing in the pockets for the little black box.

Winry tried to look passed Edward to see what he was doing but he turned around before she could, forcing her to straighten again as he approached her with a embarrassed expression.

His bangs covered his eyes as he presented her with the box and whispered, "Here, it's for you,"

Winry looked at his embarrassed, suddenly shy face then at the box he was holding in his hand. She tentavly took the box into her hands, examining the outside before she slowly, carefully, opened it.

Blue eyes widened in astonishment, "E-Ed…" she covered her mouth, a smile automatically growing on her face as she happily took in the simple yet beautiful silver ring cushioned in the neat little box.

He scratched his head, not knowing what else to do, "Um…I…I saw you looking at it earlier in town…I didn't buy you anything when Al and I returned home so…yeah…"

He stopped talking, and thinking, when he felt Winry slam her body against his, hugging him tightly with her face buried in his bare chest. His amber eyes widened to the size of saucers, not quite believing that his stubborn, dangerous and headstrong childhood friend was hugging him now.

"Thank you Ed," she whispered, nuzzling his chest and hugging him tighter.

Various thoughts were running through his mind right now and his expression softened, he rested his hand over her head and leaned his forehead against the top of her head, his other arm was wrapped around her waist affectionately.

Pinako grinned from hiding behind the door, "Finally, I thought I would have to lock them up in a room together, kids these days," she shook her head and happily moved away, granting the youngsters some privacy.

Ed sighed deeply and just enjoyed the moment, remembering fond memories with Winry when they were younger.

* * *

He had been a very closed off kid, always keeping his pain and most of his thoughts to himself, he hated it when Winry caught wind of his troubled emotions and then cried over him or felt guilty. Then there were times when he allowed her in.

Ed remember one particular evening, when he and Al had come back so Winry could make him a new arm. It had been a few weeks before the face-off with Father.

Winry had found him, deep in thought, sitting on the bed in her room. She had closed the door and sat beside him on the bed, waiting patiently for him to tell her what was wrong, if he wouldn't then that was fine too, she knew she was a support by just being there for him.

"I get these nightmares…" she had looked at him then, curious and worried, "I see the faces of the people I had killed…there weren't many, but they were still lives, human lives I've stolen Winry…" then he had lifted his head to look at her, his amber eyes had been glistening with unshed tears, "I never wanted to sacrifice anybody in my journey to getting our bodies back! It should have never happened! And when that sick bastard did that to Nina…I was helpless Winry…I couldn't _do_ anything to stop him…I couldn't reverse it…"

Winry had wrapped her arms around him, hugging him to her, like she was now, offering him comfort. Ed had wrapped his arms around her, sobbing into her shoulder.

"Ed…you said that man had been an alchemist right?" Ed nodded, still holding her tightly, "Edward, people like you are there to teach people like him what they are here for and for what they are fighting. He had never had people to protect, his family's life had been trivial for him that's why he did those things to Nina and his wife. You did all you could, it wasn't in your power, it had been his fault alone and he had to live with the burden, not you Ed."

There was a long silence, nothing but Ed's occasional subs could be heard. The soft glow of the lamp bathing the room in a warm, orange hue.

"I know I can't save everyone, but…a little girl had nothing to do with State Alchemists or the military! She should never have been involved or subjected to that madman's disgusting experiments! She was innocent…" Ed's grip tightened.

"Many innocents die in war Ed…children are also unfortunately among them…remember what Colonel Mustang said? He had done many questionable actions in the Ishval war as well, including killing people he didn't want to, children as well. Despite carrying scars and images with them, him and Riza support each-other as good as they can to overcome their demons. So…let me help you too Ed, don't close me off anymore, alright?" Ed lifted his head to look at her, he didn't shed any tears but he also didn't look as if he would cry either.

He had a look of awe on his face, a look of absolute thankfulness for the young woman before him.

Wordlessly, he had embraced her, enclosing her in his larger frame and just sitting like that on the bed, drawing comfort from her as Winry in turn let herself be comforted by him.

They had shared many things that night, their fears and innermost thoughts about the war and the upcoming fight with Father, the consequences and everything in-between. It had strengthened their bond and trust in each-other.

* * *

Ed ran his hand down Winry's blonde hair and back, resting it against her waist as he whispered in her ear:" Winry, thank you,"

Winry opened her eyes, slowly breaking away from Edward to look up at him in mild confusion, "For what?"

He smiled warmly, "For always being there for me and Al, if not for you and Granny we would have died in the military a long time ago," Winry blushed lightly, but sensed Ed's serious nature and smiled, nodding.

"Um…do you…do you like it?" Ed said somewhat embarrassingly, motioning to the ring Winry cradled in her hand so protectively.

Winry looked down at the ring and smiled, immediately putting it on her ring finger, "Y-yes…I love it Ed, it's beautiful. Thanks again," she smiled up at him and Ed thought it was one of the most beautiful smiles she ever bestowed him with.

His heart was thumping rapidly now, it was now or never.

"Winry I-"

"Brother! Winry! There you are! I was searching for you every-" Al froze, his eyes wide and his jaw nearly reaching the floor as he saw his brother half naked and in very close to proximity with Winry, who had her overalls wrapped around her waist and was wearing that top.

"-where?" Al almost jumped five foot in the air when suddenly Greed and Ling shoved him aside, Greed whistled lowly.

"Hoho, is there room for me? Looks interesting enough, should I take my shirt off too huh? Who knew you guys were so kinky, hell I was betting you would go for the old marriage sex any day, Ling we gotta install some cameras in their bedroom!" Greed grinned like the devil, fist bumping Ling.

"Greed, be a little more considerate. I don't think Ed would appreciate threesomes, you know he has that thing with his height and-"

"I'M AS TALL AS YOU GOD DAMN IT STOP TALKINGABOUT MY HEIGHT! AND GET OUT!" Ed hurled a freaking _anvil_ at the unsuspecting duo, hitting Ling squarely in the face while Greed ducked just in time. Greed looked behind himself, whistling lowly when he saw Ling K.O-ed on the floor.

"Damn, I knew the girl had a thing for automail and metal but no need to get so rough, I thought we are getting warmed up before-" a wrench was hurled with impressive speed and strength at Greed's unprotected head, sending him flying on top of Ling, out for the count.

"W-Winry…c-calm down now…" Al begged as he shielded his head with his arms, shivering in a corner. Ed sighed heavily, shaking his head.

"Well, now that the trash is out, what did you want to say earlier?" Winry turned to Ed again, smiling now.

He suddenly felt lightheaded, his heart was thumping so fast he thought it would make a hole through his chest and run away on its automail legs.

"Uhm….that I…well….I-I….uhh…."

"Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Beryllium, Boron, Carbon…!" Ed rapidly recited the periodic table in rapid succession as Winry sighed in exasperation.

After Ed calmed down, he looked at his little brother with a murderous gaze, before he could do anything, Al had sprinted out of the room with lighting speed.

Despite all the commotion Ed saw Winry smiling and that brought a bright, warm smile to his own face.

* * *

The following days everything had been more or less normal, Ed and Winry still bickered like an old married couple and Greed would still try to look cool whenever a woman half his age, also known as Winry, threw him out of the room or house for his…inappropriate comments.

Winry never took off the ring.

What do you think about this? **Should I write more scenes where adult Winry works on adult Ed's automail leg? I don't know, I'm in a EdWin mood lately :P**


	19. The Promise & The Rescue

Hey everyone! Thank you for reading my stories again, I get inspiration from your ideas! :3

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **IndigoWolfie : **Meh, I had no idea what else Ed and Winry should throw at them, by the way, Ed threw that anvil ^_^

 **Lily : **Oh no, no, no! I didn't mean anything too "intense" (bordering on sex or anything) nah, I'm far too much of an amateur to make a good chapter out of that anyway (embarrassed giggle) I just meant scenes like kissing, sexual innuendos, playful flirting…etc. Nothing too big, innocent yet slightly dirty so that also younger ones can read it.

 **Penguin19 : **hahaha Yeah, I thought of that too, I can't promise if it will be good but I'll do my best! :D

 **Emma : **(cites the periodic table like Edward when embarrassed) haha T-thanks! It's seriously an honor when I hear such praise, especially since I never thought I would be good as a author, even if I tried :P Ling and Lan Fan as kids? Sure thing!

 **Anonymous J : **haha thanks! :3 I wasn't sure if you guys would like fluffy scenes (no sex scenes) and while I never wrote that (heed the warning XD) I was thinking of giving it a shot!

 **Greedling Fan : **lol uhhh….good question…haha I'm not sure if I'll be any good as a smutty author to be honest but I could give one story (separate from this one) a shot, I can't promise thought it will be good hehe.

 **JacJac-Arie : **Oh, thanks so much! (scratches head) Hmmm, lemony one shots huh? Well, I'll give it a shot in the near future, just hope I won't be too cliché like many other authors I've read stories about, hell I've read some of the worst lemons and I never want to read them again . There is nothing worse than a intimate scene with too many clichés to count o,o Thank you JacJac-Arie!

 **Guest : **No, no, don't worry about that! I seriously didn't mean any sex scenes, just some fluffy scenes nothing bad.

 **OtakuGirl : **haha Will do! :D The Kimblee chapter is coming now! ;) About your newer review ^^ haha I will update today, or at least try to don't worry! Man...it makes me so happy to know people want to read my stories, thank you!

 **Bob : **Thanks Bob! Well, Father, Lust and Pride overwhelmed him and they tortured him pretty badly .

 **Info on Chapter:** Just for orientation, this chapter is set when they captured Scar and Ed was reluctant to leave Winry with him, Kimblee should arrive any minute and he knocked out Scar and captured Winry, he sent Ed a note through a Brigg's soldier. So Ed and his gang set out to rescue Winry from Kimblee, the only difference is Greed is with Ed and Al at Fort Briggs.

* * *

 **The Promise & The Rescue**

"Why hello young lady, care to come with me?" Kimblee asked politely, tipping his white hat at Winry, who was glaring at him and worriedly glancing over at the unconscious Scar.

"You can't fool me! I'm not going anywhere with you!" Winry wasn't dumb, she had no chance of defeating this man in combat, he was clearly an alchemist, maybe even a State Alchemist. Winry didn't want to stick for too long to find out.

She turned and fled as quickly as she could, trying to navigate through the snow to run back toward the old warehouse to alert Edward.

She couldn't afford to get captured by this punk and yet as she was running, she suddenly felt very weak, with a quick but short burst of pain at her neck, she felt darkness envelop her in its grasp and drown her in the abyss of the unknown, banishing any coherent thought from her mind as she fell unconscious.

" _What_?!" Ed was _furious_ , he _knew_ he shouldn't have trusted her to go with Scar all alone! He had tried to kill him multiple times after all, "What do you _mean_ Winry is missing?! Where is she?! Come on talk!" Ed lifted the collar of the poor soldier up in the air, the man was filled with fear.

"I-I-I-I don't know a-anything else! K-K-Kimblee sent me to deliver the message! H-h-he kidnapped Winry and s-s-says he's w-w-waiting for you Edward Elric!" Ed released the soldier and kicked his butt, furiously clawing at his hair and frantically pacing about.

"That damn Scar I knew I shouldn't have let him go with her! I knew it!" he will pay...he will pay dearly, Ed will make sure of it...

"Brother, I don't think you were listening, it's not Scar that kidnapped Winry, it's Kimblee," Al said to his brother, trying not let panic envelop him at the thought of their childhood friend getting kidnapped by one of the most dangerous men they've yet to engage in combat. Greed was leaning against the wall, a frown on his face.

"Damn it all to hell!" without warning, Ed took off, running out of Fort Briggs and outside in the snowy terrain.

"W-wait, brother!" Al ran after him, followed by Greed who scoffed.

"Is the runt always like this?" Greed rolled his eyes as he ran a little ahead of Al.

"Well..." Al sighed heavily, "Pretty much," he sped up when he saw Ed frantically following Scar and Winry's footsteps.

"Come on quit lagging! We need to follow their trails before the snow covers them!" Ed shouted loudly, gripping the earrings Winry had gifted him in his pocket tightly.

"Wait up kid! You can't just go and storm Kimblee's hideout! Do you even got a plan or something?" Ed stopped running and Greed and Al slowed down too.

Ed grit his teeth and turned his head to look at Greed, "I don't care about a plan Greed! Kimblee's a dangerous alchemist, he used to be a State Alchemist but was imprisoned for killing people he shouldn't have!"

"What's his story anyway? What do we know about him other than he's some dangerous big shot?" Greed crossed his arms, frowning.

" _Hey Ling, can you sense something?"_ Greed asked Ling in their shared mind as the prince sat cross legged within the tempest of souls inside his own body.

" _Let me check,"_ Ling replied easily as Greed allowed him to take over his body, with some difficulty.

"Greeling?" Ed asked blinking as he squinted his eyes to determine if it was Greed or Ling.

"It's _Ling_ ," Ling closed his eyes and took a deep breath, concentrating on the chi all around him.

"Oh great, now he's doing that "dragon pulse" thing again! We don't have _time_ to meditate Ling! We need to find Winry! Kimblee is dangerous! He could be doing anything to her now-"

"I got him," Ling opened his eyes, Greed's eyes, as the Homunculus covered his forearms in the Ultimate Shield and discreetly scanned the area around them with his keen eyes, "He's been watching us the entire time. The bastard's playing cat and mouse with us,"

Ed's eyes widened in surprise before he frantically looked around at the tall, rundown buildings, trying to look for the Crimson Alchemist.

"Where?! Where is he Greed?!" Ed transformed his automail hand into a blade, Al pressed his back against his brothers so they wouldn't get any surprise attacks from their blind spots.

"Ling says he's in there," Greed pointed to a rundown building a few feet away and just as Ed was about to sprint there, the whole building collapsed in a loud explosion.

Gold eyes widened in horror, "WINRY!" Ed ran as fast as he could towards the building but a explosion to his right flank forced him to dodge, Ed wiped his mouth and growled, looking around for the alchemist.

"Kimblee! You bastard, show yourself!" Al and Greed went into position, running towards Edward and looking everywhere.

"Watch out!" Greed shouted, dodging as Kimblee created another explosion. To their surprise, multiple more explosions surrounded them and trapped them in a circle of explosions.

"Shit!" Greed cursed, covered fully in the ultimate shield, he moved in front of Ed to protect him from the brunt of the explosion.

" _Greed!"_ Ling shouted out in worry, sighing in relief when he saw the shield protected Greed's and his body from the explosion.

"Thanks!" Ed shouted over the loud noise trying to figure out where Kimblee was hiding.

"Watch your hide kid! From what I heard, Kimblee can create explosions anywhere he wants! All he needs is to be able to see the area," Greed narrowed his eyes, communicating with Ling again.

" _Hey Ling, you said he had been in that building, well I hate to be the bearer of bad news but he burnt it down. Where is he now?"_ Ling took control again as Edward looked at him.

"God damn it can't you two work out a system?! I can't keep track anymore of who's who!" Ed snarled, quickly avoiding another explosion near him.

"This isn't working Ed, let me track him then immediately attack," this time Ling effortlessly sensed him, "Ed, Al! There!" Ling pointed to another building, this time farther away, straight ahead.

"Al let's go!" Ed quickly sprinted towards it, creating a massive set of stairs so he reached the top of the building.

"Damn Alchemists, hell Ling why can't you make these fancy stairs huh?! Why all this running?!" Greed barked, running towards the building as the Elric brothers were already inside.

 _"_ _I'm_ _ **sorry**_ _but do I look like a alchemist to you?!"_ Ling crossed his arms in displeasure, pouting like a child.

" _You look like a big cry baby! Now stop talking, big bad Greed needs to concentrate!"_ Ling just scoffed in amusement and irritation as Greed couldn't help but roll his eyes at his sometimes cranky mind companion.

* * *

"Kimblee!" Ed shouted, his voice echoing in the seemingly empty building. Windows were broken, shards of glass and rubble scattered around the partly broken floor boards, this building certainly had seen better days.

"ED!" an all-too family cry moved Edward into motion, Al following suit.

"That's Winry! Down there brother!" Al and Ed quickly raced down the stairs, finding a frightened Winry standing behind Kimblee, who had his hands in his dress pants, still dressed in that all-white suit of his.

"Winry, are you alright?" Al asked, watching with worry how Winry looked so scared of Kimblee.

Kimblee looked at them from underneath the bridge of his hat, a slow, dangerous grin on his face, "Ah, the Elric brothers, to what do I owe the pleasure of your sudden visit?"

Kimblee's fake gentlemanly attitude only angered Ed even more, adding to it that Winry looked scared as hell from him, "Get the hell away from her Kimblee!" Kimblee smirked and suddenly wrapped an arm around Winry's shoulders, drawing her to his side.

"My apologies Edward, but it doesn't seem like I'll be getting rid of her just yet," Winry scoffed in anger at the alchemist, squirming in discomfort.

"You perverted bastard!" before Ed could make another step forward, Kimblee's eyes narrowed in warning.

"Oh I can assure you, I'm a gentleman through and through. I don't dare to touch a innocent maiden such as herself," Kimblee grinned, tightening his grip painfully on Winry, she grunted in mild pain.

"I advise you to plan your future actions thoroughly Ed, unless of course you want me to create a beautiful explosion with this pretty young lady? I imagine how beautiful the explosion may be with her blood mixed with it," Kimblee traced a single finger along Winry's cheek, causing her to shiver in fear and squirm against him even more, but his threat rang clear in her ears.

"You...you wouldn't!" Ed grit his teeth, trying to figure out what to do. If he made a careless move, he would get Winry in danger, Al couldn't perform any alchemy as well since Kimblee had an eye on them. It seemed like, whatever came up, he couldn't do any of it without endangering Winry.

Wait...

Where was Greed?! Where the _hell_ was Greed?!

Did that bastard just turn tail and run?! Oh when he got his hands on that good-for-nothing, greedy, little-

There was a loud crash, in the next minute, Kimblee was face first on the floor, a foot covered in the ultimate shield on top of his head and Winry in the arms of Greed.

"Ha! I knew that would work! Man Ling, we are awesome ain't we?" Greed grinned broadly, looking smug as always.

There was a moment of collective shock, before a flying automail fist came crashing against Greed's unprotected face, causing his grip around Winry to completely slacken and to land hard against a wall.

Greed groaned, gripping his head, "Aw man...talk about playin' the hero...Ling you said playing hero was nice!" Greed narrowed his eyes at Ed, who was glaring daggers at him.

"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU, YOU STUPID HOMUNCULUS?! WINRY ALMOST GOT KILLED, AL ALMOST GOT KILLED, WE ALL ALMOST GOT KILLED!" Al had to hold Ed back from punching Greed again, who scoffed and straightened up, dusting off his coat.

"Yeah, yeah, 'You're the best ever Greed, thank you so much for saving us!', man you guys are lame. I don't even get that?" he crossed his arms.

Winry smiled, walking up toward Greed and going on her tip toes to kiss him on the cheek, Ed's eyes almost bulged out of his head before he fainted in his brother's arms.

"Brother! Brother! Hold on brother, we will get you some help! " Al quickly snagged Ed's soul and shoved it back inside his body before it could escape, "Not yet, we still need you brother!"

Greed rubbed his cheek and looked surprised at Winry, who smiled happily at him, "Thank you for saving me Greed, I never thought I would say that anytime soon,"

The Homunculus blinked before he smirked and felt pride swell within him, "Ah, no need to thank me, young lady. I only do what is right," Greed examined his hand, a satisfied smirk on his face.

" _I can't believe I willingly allowed him to share my body...I still can't believe I wasn't drunk that time too..."_ Ling shook his head, sitting cross-legged inside their shared mind.

" _Hey! What's that supposed to mean?! I did good didn't I? Be proud of me you damn kung fu freak! Look,_ _ **I**_ _got a kiss and_ _ **you**_ _didn't! HA!"_ Greed boasted to himself, grinning.

" _That's not kung fu damn it!"_ Ling's chi flared and he punched Greed in the face, or rather his own face, Greed retaliated by punching back.

"Ow! Damn it Ling! That hurts!" Greed fought for control before he bit his own arm and Ling cried out in pain, when Ling tried to bite him back, Greed covered their arms in the ultimate shield.

"We need help..." Winry nodded vigorously at Ed's remark.

"Actually _they_ need help..." Winry couldn't help but laugh when Greed and Ling took control over their shared body and tried overpowering one another.

"Well, I'm glad you're safe Winry, let's go home," Ed smiled and blushed when Winry smiled back and suddenly took his hand.

"Yeah let's," she smiled happily.

"Oh Wiiiiinrryyyy," Al had that cat-like smile on his face again, teasing his brother and friend.

"AL SHUT UP!" Both young adults shouted out in embarrassment.

 **The end I hope everyone enjoyed it! :D**


	20. That Soft Side

Heya! I hope you guys will be satisfied with today's chapter updates! ;)

* * *

 **That Soft Side**

"Ed's still missing, Alphonse, I don't know where he is, I'm sorry," the Führer's right hand, Riza Hawkeye, bowed with a frown on her face.

Al sighed heavily, scratching the back of his neck as Mei rested a comforting hand on his shoulder, "It's alright, thank you for coming all the way here Miss Hawkeye. I'm sorry you had to abandon your duties," he offered her a soft, kind smile.

Riza's expression softened, making her appear younger than she was, "No need for gratitude or apologies Alphonse, Führer Mustang unfortunately couldn't have come himself, he had business of utmost importance to attend,"

Al rose an eyebrow in confusion, "Oh really? I thought he needed you there too if it's so important?"

Riza smiled, "He said he would be fine, he told me to deliver his sincerest apologies for not coming here, he is just as worried as we are for Edward's safety," she looked outside at the dark sky, it was already night, not quite late but evening nonetheless.

"Oh, where are my manners, why don't you go and sit down? Have some tea? Alphonse! Now where are _your_ manners?!" Mei scolded her husband, glaring at him sternly as she smiled sweetly at Riza and retreated to the kitchen to prepare some tea.

"Uhh, r-right! I'm sorry Miss Hawkeye!" Al stuttered, more frightened by his wife's fearsome attitude at times.

Riza could only chuckle at the younger ones' attitudes, the younger generation really was something else.

"Thank you Alphonse," as Riza took a seat at the kitchen table she looked around the room, "Oh, where is Winry?" she would have liked to talk to the young woman, console her if possible, she knew for a fact that the former Fullmetal Alchemist was very close to her.

"She is outside...she said she needed some fresh air," Al smiled sadly, looking out the window.

Riza nodded, "Let's leave her be for now, I imagine it's difficult for her to sort out her thoughts at the moment," Al only smiled, joining his wife by the counter to help prepare the tea.

* * *

Winry was sitting quietly at the bench just outside the house, looking at the dark sky and the village farther away, illuminated by street lights from what she could see. She sighed.

"You idiot, where are you?" she felt a hot tear slide down her cheek and she immediately pressed her hand against it, rubbing her eyes to prevent anymore tears from escaping but it only seemed to make it worse.

She sobbed quietly, not too keen on alerting Al and the others from her misery.

They hadn't heard anything from Ed in a while, a week to be exact. He had heard there was some commotion in Central, the weird thing was Mustang hadn't know Ed was in Central, nobody had seen him there and Winry had grown more worried by each passing day.

It was so unlike him to disappear so suddenly and not call, sure he would be late with calling for well over a week, but that had been in the old days, when Al and him had been still searching for a way to gain their bodies back and when danger had been at every corner waiting for them.

This was different.

Father was dead, the bad Homunculi had all been killed, the only danger were rogue soldiers here and there, alchemists who were actively looking for trouble or criminal civilians but they all were no match for Edward Elric.

While it was true he couldn't perform any alchemy anymore, he had immensely heightened his hand to hand combat skills and fighting with a weapon ,be it sword or spear. He had been training with various skilled fighters Lan Fan, Ling himself when he wasn't as busy, even Al...all of them...

He could take care of himself, she knew. He had made her a promise after all, after he had returned from his travels to the East, he had once again confirmed the words he had told her at the train station that day.

She was lucky she had known him for so long, she could decipher "Edward" talk any day, which was basically a mixture of alchemy and gibberish mixed into one.

He had proposed to her, she had been immensely happy. The proposal wasn't anything a normal woman would have expected but Winry wasn't a normal woman and Ed certainly wasn't a normal man. He had proposed using the laws of alchemy, equivalent exchange.

If she would give half of her life to him then he would give half of his life to her. At first it had taken a while for Winry to decipher it but as soon as she had found out she had been shocked, deeply touched and most importantly annoyed that her fiancé was a alchemist through and through.

As Edward had pointed out in their brief fight at the station back then, she had 'defied all laws of alchemy' by simply saying she would give all of her life to him. She had been embarrassed but greatly relieved when Edward had hugged her and called her amazing.

She smiled behind her tears, they kept stubbornly coming. She clutched the red sweater, his sweater, tighter around herself. She almost laughed, she probably looked like one of those typical girls crying over whether or not they would see their boyfriend again and wearing his clothes.

But at this moment, she didn't care at all. It was slightly chilly outside and the sweater smelled of him, it offered her a little bit of comfort. Along with the knowledge that it was _Edward Elric_ they were talking about, the man known for his immense stubbornness and peerless determination, he would return, whatever it took, Winry knew that well.

Yet she couldn't help it how her eyes would moisten and the tears would fall.

Winry heard footsteps coming closer, she was briefly surprised how she didn't hear the door open and close.

"Here," a deep, all too familiar voice sounded in Winry's ears.

She lifted her head and saw a white handkerchief being held close to her, she followed the arm and saw black fabric.

"W-what are you doing here?" she couldn't help but ask, he was truly the last person she would have expected here, even though he did come here with Mei from Xing.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I was tryin' to sleep then you kept crying and I had to do something. I value my beauty sleep ya know," Greed muttered with a frown and motioned to the handkerchief, "Take it, not like I got any use for it anyway,"

Winry smiled warmly and gratefully took it, drying her tears up with it and rubbing her face dry.

Greed had seen Winry crying at the porch outside of the Rockbell-Elric home and he reflexively had taken out a handkerchief and wordlessly offered it to her. He wasn't a fool, he knew why she had been crying.

Greed sat beside her, spread his legs out with his arms resting on the back of the bench they were sitting on, "So, why is a pretty girl like you crying all alone at this hour? Hell, that just must be about a guy," he eyed her, carefully analyzing her mood.

Winry sniffled, her blonde bangs covering her eyes, "Do you think he's ok out there? We haven't heard from him in days...not even Al or Mustang know where he is," Winry bunched up the material of his sweater in her hands tightly.

Greed watched the action and sighed, leaning his head back, "The kid's fine, don't worry. He's too stubborn to die and get himself killed, trust me I've tried." he smirked, "Besides, he's got some people he's gotta return to right? I don't think he would forget about that," Winry smiled a small sad smile and nodded.

Greed rose an eyebrow, "Say, I thought you two were a thing? I mean, last I saw him, he was going out of your room even before the sun itself was up, don't blame a Homunculus for thinking two ways,"

Winry would have blushed in embarrassment and probably hit Greed with her wrench, but she was too shaken to feel embarrassed or shy," It wasn't like that Greed, nothing happened. I comforted him after Hohenheim died, we just fell asleep on my bed."

Greed smiled, "Ah, but you _wanted_ something to happen am I right? Honey, I may be Greed the Avaricious, but I don't have to be Lust herself to put two and two together,"

Winry suddenly blushed darkly as she offered a rather lame reply, "E-Ed has a lot on his mind and I'm pretty busy with the shop anyway..." that was all he needed to hear.

Greed frowned as he saw a tear roll down her cheek, "Hey, what are you crying for now? I thought the water works stopped?" If there was one thing Greed hated more than his possessions being taken from him, it was seeing women cry. Aside from having a "no hitting women" policy, this was his secret soft spot, even if he liked to play it off as never having something as "soft spots" in the first place.

"What if he...what if Ed is laying somewhere injured? What if he needs help but can't call us?" she looked at Greed helplessly.

Greed frowned, "You women are unbelievable, trust them to write the scariest horror stories and make up the most weirdest scenarios in their minds. Listen honey-"

Winry said firmly:" –Winry,"

" Ugh, _fine. Winry,_ listen, I think you know even better than me how fucking stubborn the runt can be, you gave him your earrings right?" Winry blinked and fingered her ears, empty of her earrings.

"Yeah, I did," she admitted with a curious look in her eye as she looked at Greed.

The Homunculus grinned, "See? That alone is enough to guarantee you that he will be back. I've heard from the kitten and ape-man that he had been impaled by a fucking pole in the side and he held on for that long because he kept holding your earrings in his hand and they heard him mumbling something about not wanting to make ya cry again," Greed smiled then, "I think you should be fair and not cry anymore until he comes back. He'll definitely be more happier if he sees tears of joy right?" he offered her a rare, genuine grin.

Winry's eyes widened, she smiled warmly at Greed as she took in his words, "You're right, thank you Greed," Greed nodded, smiling.

He looked out at the night sky, "You know, I've always thought he had been a arrogant little brat. But ever since coming here, I realized he has a lot to fight for and a lot to lose. No wonder he fought as hard as he did with the old man back then, he had been fighting to protect all of this. He's one lucky bastard,"

Greed suddenly felt something warm and soft against his cheek, it was short but nevertheless he registered that Winry had just given him a peck on the cheek. "You have friends too Greed, if you're ever in a pinch we would protect you too and I'm sure Ed would fight for you just as hard as he did for us," she smiled encouragingly and Greed couldn't help but smile back.

He turned his attention back toward the sky, "Heh, thanks...Winry," Greed turned his head to look at her but she had dozed off with her head on his shoulder rather quickly, it took him by surprised how he didn't notice her weight against his shoulder. Greed sighed but the soft smile never left his face, "Yeah...the kid better be back or else," Greed grinned into the dark night.

He felt the air get chillier, as much as he hated to admit it, he didn't want the Rockbell girl to get a cold, so he scooped her up in his arms, still dressed in that red sweater of Ed's and carried her upstairs, sneaking passed Hawkeye, Granny, Al and Mei. "I just hope you don't adopt his weird as hell fashion sense, we don't need one more walking fashion disaster out here," he whispered and shook his head, opening the door to Winry's room and laying her down on her bed.

He pulled the covers up over her, tucking her in.

" _Ugh...what the hell am I doing? Damn it all to hell...I_ _ **have**_ _gone soft...tch, well, at least ol' Ling ain't here to tease the shit outta me for being a softie, good thing he's asleep too,"_ Greed rolled his eyes.

He shook his head and sighed, softly closing the door behind him. Greed was walking down the stairs, his hands in his pockets. " _Aw, that was so sweet of you Greed, didn't know you were such a softie,"_ Ling taunted playfully in their shared mind, adopting a sweet smile on his face. He couldn't believe they were _still_ able to communicate via mind link with each-other even though Ling himself was back in Xing as Emperor with Lan Fan not to mention their now separate bodies.

" _Shut up, I thought you were asleep you closet pervert,"_ Greed retorted back venomously, ignoring Ling's teasing comments and protests at being called a closet pervert. Greed scratching the back of his neck as he suddenly heard someone shouting outside.

Greed's eyes narrowed and he quickly stormed outside, violet eyes widening in surprise at what he saw.

"Greed! Give me a hand over here will you?" Führer Roy Mustang called out sharply, supporting Edward's side as the two men slowly walk-limped toward the Rockbell-Elric home.

"Brother!" Alphonse immediately ran after Greed as the Homunculus supported Ed's other side, "I can't believe you're alright! Where were you so long? Winry and everyone else has been so worried over you!"

"Ugh...W-Winry? Oh man she's gonna kill me...where is she?"

"Look out!" Greed quickly shoved Mustang away from the line of fire as a wrench suddenly came flying at high speed from inside the house, hurled straight at Ed's head as the former State Alchemist fell like a log on his back, a wrench-shaped red mark on his face.

"Talk about the devil..." Ed muttered in pain, rubbing the sore spot.

"Edward..." Winry Rockbell said threateningly at the doorway, Pinako at her granddaughter's side as the old woman watched the scene unfold in amusement.

"W-Winry...I can explain..." Ed suddenly whipped his out around toward Greed," Hey you! Why didn't you cover _me_?"

The Homunculus scoffed," Simple, you deserved your ass kicked, kid. And you don't touch the Führer, he is _invincible_ ," Mustang nodded vigorously and fist bumped with Greed, who had a childish expression on his face, before a shot near him made him straighten up in alarm.

"Führer Mustang..." Riza's penetrating gaze made Mustang sweat in his shoes, "Weren't you attending to your duties, sir?" Roy heard the familiar sound of a gun loading.

Crap.

"G-General! I-I can explain!" Mustang frantically waved his arms around, "M-my duties which were of top priority...I had been searching for Fullmetal."

Everyone suddenly quieted down, "W-what?" it was Winry who asked first.

"I was suspicious of how we didn't hear anything from him in days, as it were I sent my top men out to scout the area for him, as his last known location was Central. It turned out he had been captured by...well..." he suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"Just say it Mustang..." Ed grumbled in displeasure.

"Alright...he was captured by...by fan girls..."

"WHAT?!" everyone near them shouted out in shock, except Pinako, whose smoke pipe fell to the ground.

"Excuse me, _fangirls_? _Edward_!" Winry growled in anger and jealousy, seething with her teeth bared menacingly.

"H-hey! It wasn't my choice! I wanted to visit Mustang and see how he sucks at his job then one of them knocked me unconscious with a brick! I was shirtless and chained to a freaking wall for four days!" Edward cried rivers of tears as Al hugged his brother tightly and cried with him.

"Oh Al!" Greed _swore_ the two boys were sparkling like a certain Strong Arm Alchemist.

"Oh brother!" Al cried a waterfall full of tears, hugging his brother like his life depended on him.

"Fan girls huh? Hm...are you sure they weren't searching for me? What would they do with a runt like you?" Greed smirked but suddenly a cold shiver raced up and down his spine as a mental image of Lan Fan's glaring, menacing face appeared in his mind, shutting off all previous thoughts, however joking they may have been, about fan girls.

" _No_ I was pretty sure they had the right guy. They kept _pictures_ of me _everywhere_! They took my shirt and almost my pants if Mustang here didn't save me in the nick of time! I kept shouting at them to let me go because I needed to give Winry the ring but they kept getting angrier and angrier," Ed sighed, shaking his head.

Winry was now standing before him, tears in her eyes, "R-Ring?"

Ed smiled and fished around in his pants pocket for the ring he bought, "It's not much but I figured you weren't one for large diamonds anyway, I...I-I hope you like it Winry,"

His smile was as handsome and cute as ever as Ed presented her the ring and gently put it on her finger, the band was silver, the top of it was crowned with a small diamond, gold in color, it was small but nonetheless still beautiful.

"It's g-gold...the color of your eyes..." Winry smiled warmly.

"Y-yeah...I bought myself a ring too," he showed it to her, a bigger one with a blue diamond in the center, " The color of your eyes,"

"But I thought red was your favorite color, Ed," Winry hugged him tightly, smiling into his shoulder.

"It's my second favorite, blue is my favorite color, because it's the color of your eyes," Ed smiled and affectionately kissed her forehead, stroking her hair as sheer happiness overwhelmed him at finally being home again.

* * *

"She _what_?!" Ed was furious.

"Yup, she kissed me alright, damn her lips were soft," Greed grinned like the devil.

" _You bastard!_ " Ed swung at him angrily, trying to punch and kick him with murderous intent.

"Heh, jealous squirt?" Greed loved taunting the older Elric brother, getting him riled up. She actually gave him a short, sweet peck on the cheek but he didn't need to know that.

"Umm...Winry?" Al asked uncertainly, eyes darting back and forth between a irritated Winry and the two fighting men.

"Don't listen to him Al, he's lying. I just gave him a peck on the cheek because he comforted me yesterday," Winry shook her head, sighing heavily, "Ugh...men..."

"Oh brother..." Al shook his head, watching Greed taunt Ed more and more, his brother getting more riled up and attempting to murder the smirking Homunculus.

Then Greed ran outside and hopped on a cow, riding it like a bull, "Wooohooo yeah! This is better than rodeo!" Greed shouted, "Yehaa!" Ed growled and chased after them.

"Damn you to hell Greed! Get back here you coward!" Ed grabbed a rock on the way and threw it on Greed's head, making the Homunculus fall from the cow and land on his behind on the ground.

"Ow! That hurt you jackass!" Ed pounced on Greed, the two men grappling with each-other on the ground.

"Stop trying to defile my fiancée you bastard!" Ed shouted as he landed a punch.

"You can't blame me for having this body kid!" Greed grinned as they play fought, he knew Ed wasn't really mad at him.

"Shut up! I'll tear off your legs and beat you up with them you son of a-"

Alright...on second thought...

"Wanna go inside for some tea?" Winry asked Al sweetly, the poor man had no idea what to do.

Could he decide between tea and his brother?

"I got cookies too and Mei is there,"

It was settled.

Nothing could beat cookies and his awesome, sweet wife.

Not even his elder brother.

* * *

 **Hihi I hope you all enjoyed it! Greed's softer side naww ^^** Bet some of you weren't expecting that!


	21. My Final Vow

Hehe, like I said, today I'm full of surprises.

 **Info on chap:** The events here are a little different than in the original story, I hope you guys don't mind! ^,^

 **IMPORTANT:** If anyone wants to send me a message, for whatever reason, you can reach me on my mail I created specifically for fanfiction! **dragonredfox98 gmail . com** Thanks! :) (without the spaces please!)

 **Enjoy reading everyone!**

* * *

 **My Final Vow**

Greed knew there was no other way to stop this. He had a mission, he had a duty to Ling, Lan Fan and old man Fu. He saw the family and friends that supported Edward, he had a real chance at family, something Greed never did.

He wasn't about to sacrifice so many lives, _innocent_ lives, for his old man's mad ideologies.

"Lan Fan!" he shouted out loudly, he grinned when Lan Fan heard his call and immediately jumped up high in the air, slicing with her blade clean through Father's arm, coated in Greed's weakest form of his shield, the weakest form of carbon; graphite.

Before the connection broke, Greed had his last conversation with Ling in their mind, "Later," with that he was pulled away from Ling's body and into Father's.

"W-what?! Noo!" Father cried out in rage and agony, stumbling on unsteady feet.

Ling's eyes widened, not believing what just happened in that split second.

Greed had punched him.

He had willingly allowed himself to be absorbed into Father's body.

Greed had _lied_ to him.

"You fucking bastaaaard!" Ling shouted in outrage, punching Father repeatedly as tears escaped from the corner of his eyes.

Ed faltered, watching with sad eyes as Ling had a breakdown, "Ling..."

"Edward!" Alex Armstrong shouted and Ed snapped out of it, quickly joining in the fray to help Ling dealing with Father.

He had enough time to catch up with Al later, right now they still had to defeat him. He may have lost the ability to perform alchemy, but he was still breathing and standing. If he could stand he could damn well fight.

"Arghh!" Ed released a battle cry, kicking Father's chin as Ling swooped in for a uppercut.

"Edward, Ling, step back!" Riza suddenly shouted, whispering to Mustang the exact coordinates of Father's position, in the next moment, a tremendous torrent of deadly flames engulfed Father's body, burning his limbs, only to regenerate, albeit slower.

"Come on everyone! Now's our chance! His healing is slowing down!" a Brigg's men shouted, aiming his rifle at Father's back from behind.

Alex Armstrong didn't hesitate and aided the two men, making sure not to accidentally hit them as he aimed his alchemy at Father.

"Greed! Can you hear me?! Answer me Greed!" Ling shouted as he delivered another punch at Father's pale face.

"Ow! Hey! Stop hitting me you bastard, I know you're enjoying this!" Greed's voice came from somewhere inside Father, Father's movements momentarily faltering as Greed spoke.

Wait...

"Greed! Hey! Can you control the bearded bastard from the inside?!" Ed shouted as he blocked a weak punch from said Homunculus.

"Control? I can make him dance!" Father's movements stopped altogether and Father strained against Greed's strong will.

"S-since when have you gained such power, Greed? I'm the ultimate Homunculus! Your creator! You should bow before me!" Father shouted, seemingly fighting for control over his body.

"Heh and I thought middling with humans made me go soft! Sorry pops, but I ain't lettin' ya kill everyone, _nobody_ kills _my_ possessions!"

Father released a scream from the depth of his gut, tearing at his hair as he struggled for control.

"Greed!" both Ling and Edward shouted out as they watched the scene.

"D-damn it!" Greed cursed as Father had stuck a hand down his throat and seemed to be pulling something out; it was Greed.

"No! _Greed!_ " Ling couldn't believe what was happening.

Father, at long last, brutally ripped Greed out of his body, depriving him of a Philosopher's Stone as well as a container.

"Oh, oh, looks like my time is up kids," Greed said but suddenly grinned, the only part visible of him was his mouth and the white eyes surrounded by the mass of red and black.

"It also looks like I didn't break my vow," he motioned towards Father's degrading body, he had overexerted the power of the stone and as a consequence of ripping out Greed, his body was turning into dust.

"Greed! No! Come back you bastard!" Ed shouted, looking crestfallen beside Lan Fan and Ling up at the sky as Greed was disappearing more and more.

What previously had been a loud battlefield was suddenly very quiet, as everyone witnessed the tearful scene.

Greed was dying, just like the rest of his Homunculi brethren.

"Sorry Ling, looks like you will need to abandon your diapers and wear grown up pants. Be a good boy alright? Don't you dare become like Wrath!" he warned, narrowing his eyes at Ling, who had tears in his eyes.

"G-Greed..." Ling whispered, his body wracked with sobs.

"Hey kid...look out for the bunch of lunatics alright? They will get themselves thrown in a mental institution wearing those fancy white jackets any day now, then again you probably ain't the best one to watch over them," tears were already falling from Ed's eyes.

"Greed...I will..." he nodded, laying a comforting hand on Ling's shoulder.

"Lan Fan," it was the first time Greed called her by her name, "Make sure princy here won't get all pissy with me after I arrive in hell alright? I don't want my old buddy Satan complaining to me how the idiot's behaving outta line and crying like a baby,"

"And take care too, alright?" Lan Fan smiled tearfully, nodding slightly, too wound up to speak right now.

"I guess this means goodbye my friends...thanks for fulfilling and sating my greediness...having friends like you," he smiled, "Damn I sound like a sissy even when dying," he chuckled humorlessly, watching how Ling kept crying over his departure.

"Thanks for everything...Greed," Ed smiled, rubbing furiously at his eyes.

" _This is alright...I can live with that...I guess I can die in peace now as funny as it sounds...the old man's gone for good, Amestris won't plunge into chaos...yeah...that's good enough for me...Ling will survive without me,"_

 _"_ Thank you...for everything... _"_ Greed whispered one last time as the last remains of him disappeared into particles of dust.

The battlefield was silent.

Until a guttural scream pierced the air.

* * *

"Ow...damn...hey...since when is it so bright here in hell?" Greed muttered, squinting at the bright light.

"Because you are not in hell, Greed," a voice sounded, but it was no voice Greed recognized.

Wait...a gate? What the hell?

"Awake yet?"

Greed's eyes widened in shock, blinking as his eyes met the white ones of a creature many called 'God' or 'Truth'.

"I am what you humans call 'God', but most know me as 'The Truth', I didn't expect a Homunculus to visit me though," he was sitting on the floor, an arm propped up on one knee.

Greed stood up, narrowing his eyes, "Wait...I heard stories about you pal. Don't people always lose something when they come here?"

Truth grinned, teeth and all, "Yes, but only when they opened the Gate,"

"Well, why am I here? I didn't open the Gate did I?" Greed tensed in alarm.

"No, I have watched your actions on earth Greed...the man that created you, the dwarf in the flask, or as you call him 'Father',"

Greed crossed his arms, scoffing, "Tch, what's with the bastard? He's dead ain't he?"

Truth nodded, "Oh yes he is, but you see, because of his death, you were sent here,"

"Alright, I'll take a wild guess – I have to pay for my dear daddy's actions now huh? Can I make a phone call first?" Greed pointed to the back, his face impassive.

"You will see soon enough, Homunculus," Greed shivered in something he had experienced before – fear.

* * *

They were picking up the dead bodies, the injured were treated and those that weren't seriously injured had the task to secure all the casualties suffered in this full scale war.

Hohenheim was with Edward and Al's new, frail body, offering comfort to them despite Ed's protests at the beginning.

Lan Fan, Ling and Mei were sitting together in silence, thinking over Greed's sacrifice.

Time passed and the majority of the many people that had fought Father were slowly returning home, or rather toward the hospital to get themselves fixed up.

"It's over now, isn't it Lieutenant?" Roy asked, still guided by his ever loyal subordinate.

A sad look crossed Riza's face, "Yes...it is Colonel..."

"The Homunculus...Greed...he sacrificed himself, didn't he? That's why we were able to finish that bastard off?" Riza felt his grip on her shoulder tighten slightly as he frowned deeply.

"He did..."

Despite not seeing anything, Roy looked up at the sky, "Who knew...a creature who embodied the sin Greed itself...to take an action so selfless in itself and save so many lives..." Roy lowered his head in sorrow as Riza led him through the people.

Ling felt so alone...so empty now. His thoughts were a mess and no Greed to bark insults at him and set him straight again as weird as it sounded...he didn't want to be alone with his thoughts right now...he couldn't take them. His soul was crying out in unbelievable pain.

"Ling..." Ed's voice brought him out of his thoughts and he was grateful for that,

"What is it Ed?"

"Did we...did we forget someone?" Ed narrowed his eyes looking straight ahead.

"What?" Ling stood up, wincing as he did so, his body was screaming at him to lay down and rest.

"Young lord!" Lan Fan, ignoring her own wounds, supported him.

"Who is..." Ling narrowed his eyes, ignoring Lan Fan's protests as he slowly approached the black figure walking toward them.

Wait a damn minute...

"No...it...it can't be..." Ling protested, shaking his head violently.

The figure waved and Ed blinked, "No way...Ling, pinch me..." Ling punched him in the shoulder.

Ed was in his face in seconds, "Ouch! I said _pinch_ me _not punch_ me you idiot!"

"Ed...are you seeing what I am seeing? Tell me this is some sick joke?" Ling couldn't believe it.

This couldn't – _shouldn't_ – be happening at all!

"Yo! What should a Homunculus do around here to get some treatment huh? My ribs are feeling funny ya know?" Greed the Avaricious himself grinned broadly, holding his side as he waved with his good arm.

"It...It is him! Ed it's him!" Ling shouted in happiness, sprinting at a dead sprint straight toward Greed.

And knocking him to the ground too.

"Ow! What the hell Ling?! Careful with the soft bits damn it!" despite Greed's protests he nonetheless hugged Ling back, "There go my ribs..."

"Greed! You're back! You fool!" Ling punched him in the stomach for good measure, hugging him at the same time.

Then Ed came into the fray, "GREED!" he literally jumped on the two men and Greed felt the air was pushed out of his lungs at the added weight.

"DO YOU IDIOTS EVEN UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF PERSONAL SPACE OR BROKEN RIBS AT ALL?!" Greed seethed from under the two laughing males, sighing in defeat.

"Hey, hey, I allowed a free hug but if you want start searching my pockets or taking off my clothes that costs extra, I only accept Philosopher Stones though," Greed couldn't help but smile, a single, unnoticed tear sliding down his cheek.

Or so he thought.

"Aw, look at this Edward! Big bad Greed is crying!" Ling only glomped him harder, nuzzling his chest and face.

"Nawww, little ol' Greed's such a softie!" Ed grinned widely

"SHUT UP YOU BRATS!" Greed thought over his next words, "AND GET THE HELL OFF ME!"

Then it kicked in, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING OLD YA RUNT?!" Greed shouted out in anger, trying to punch the living daylights out of Ed from his position.

"LAN FAN! GET THESE IDIOTS OFF-OOMPF!"

Lan Fan came crashing down at the pile from the sky, she moved Ed and Ling out of the way and hugged Greed, "I'm glad you're back Homunculus,"

"WHAT YOU ARE CALLING ME THAT DESPITE CRYING FOR ME?! ARE YOU ON YOUR PERIOD OR SOMETHIN'?!"

Lan Fan swiftly jabbed him in the ribs, causing him to wince but smile and hug her back.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing with Lan Fan?!" Ling growled, crossing his arms.

"Sorry pal, she likes me more," Greed smiled happily, like a satisfied child, and hugged Lan Fan back.

He whispered the next words sincerely, straight from the bottom of his heart, "It feels good to be home,"

Lan Fan nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks as she hugged him with a smile on her face.

"I don't even care that you broke two more of my ribs...that doesn't mean that more people can jump on me though,"

The sparkling strong arm alchemist suddenly came into view, "Why hello there Greed! So nice to see you!"

"OH HELL NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME SPARKY!" Greed backtracked on his hands and knees.

Ling only smiled.

He is back.

Greed the Avaricious is back.

* * *

Sorry everyone! This is rather short and random, I hope it's still good. ^^ Eheh...hope you all enjoyed reading this! **BTW:** Are there any fans who like the crack pairing **Greed & Winry**? Personally, I think its a bit weird to ship them because they don't have any intercations, then again I understand the need to ship characters which aren't canon (wipes tear away)


	22. Returning Home

(imitates Greed) Just who the hell do you guys think I am huh? You guys think I can just write three chapters a day? (smirks) Well, you're in for a **surprise**! :D haha I'll try to update at least two of your requests today (it's evening here but don't worry 'bout it, there are no good movies running now .) BTW: Any Germans here? I was debating whether or not writing some of my other stories (or one shots) on German since all my stories are on English (shrugs)

 **BTW** : I'll use Japanese honorifics in this one! Tell me if it's better WITH or WITHOUT honorifics! :D

Be **warned**! Cranky Greed incomiiinngg!

 **Enjoy my dear readers!**

* * *

 **Returning Home**

"Hey! Come on, quit lagging behind!" Greed shouted to the back, he sighed heavily as he craned his neck, wearing a black cappy to at least block out the sun (and the heat) from his face in this damn desert.

Lan Fan, old man Fu and Mei Chang along with Xiao Mei were a little more behind, Lan Fan's injuries still hadn't fully healed, she hadn't rested over seven months she had to after getting automail attached to her. Ed had scolded her thoroughly for that. So she took it to heart and decided to take it easy.

Fu was in a more _advanced_ age, so he opted to spare his energy to survive this incredibly long walk back home to Xing. He looked back and forth between the bickering duo, Ling and Greed.

They were a pain in the ass to say the least.

Because of a series of events, which included the Philosopher Stone getting removed from Ling's body and mixed with his blood, created a Ling version of Greed or rather a Greed-version of Ling.

Mei kept whimpering about her "beloved Alphonse-sama" and it drove nearly the whole party nuts.

"Why...w-why did we have to leave Alphonse-sama and Edward-sama behind? A-Alphonse-sama...hey may need help! And I'm not there!" Mei cried a whole waterfall of tears.

"Hey! _One more 'Alphonse-sama'_ from you and you're flying kid got that?" Greed rubbed at his forehead, adjusting his cappy lower on his eyes.

"Greed...what is up with that hat of yours anyway?" Ling deadpanned, watching the black, peculiar cap on his head, they didn't have such things in Xing, only straw hats.

"What the hell is it to you? My head, my rules! I can wear wigs on my head for all I know!" Greed snapped irritably at the prince, crossing his bare muscular arms.

He had long since tore off the sleeves of his black, tight shirt. As an extra precaution, he used his jacket to block out the sun more by holding it above his head spread wide over his head and shoulders.

"You look ridiculous Greed..." Ling shook his head, fanning himself with Mei's fan.

"Tch, says you, using a little girls fan to keep yourself cool, what? Is the grass greener on the other side or what?" Greed growled, the heat getting the better of him.

"I don't think you even _have_ grass on that side," Ling stuck his tongue out, swiftly evading Greed's claws.

"Oh yeah?! You wanna see how much grass I got?! More than you baldy!" Greed boasted.

"Fool..." Fu shook his head, hurling a little rock at Greed's head to stop the Homunculus from tearing Ling to shreds.

"Hey! Old man! What the hell was that for? You trying to kill a man for being too handsome?!" Greed rolled his eyes, rubbing at his head.

"If you mean throwing a little pebble at your head to diffuse the situation as "killing" then yes," Fu replied casually, growing concerned as Mei kept slowing down more and more, "Princess, do you require assistance?"

"O-oh no, no thank you! I'm fine!" Mei sweat dropped, smiling nervously as she tried to speed up but instead she fell down face first on the hot sand.

Xiao Mei made a show of rubbing his face in agony as the sand was very hot, Mei doing the same. Both coughed and stuck their tongues out, it was a amusing sight.

Greed ceased his bickering with Ling and rolled his eyes, he took off his cappy and placed it on Mei's head, he took his coat and draped it over her shoulders and head. Then he squatted down low with his arms reaching behind him.

Mei blinked in confusion and gaped like a fish.

"What? You're supposed to climb on my back ya know! I'm carrying you the rest of the way," Mei smiled and happily jumped on Greed's back, nearly strangling the poor Homunculus as she wrapped her arms too tight around Ling's neck.

"Argh-what the-c-could-c-can't b-b-breath...kid, g-get the hell off m-me..." Greed coughed like a dying cat, reached out toward the sky for a seemingly invisible deity as he made a show of choking to death.

Mei slightly loosened her grip and instead she swung her legs over Greed's shoulders, gripping his head.

"Is this better?" she asked shyly, blushing when Greed finally breathed life into himself.

"Y-yeah..." he coughed again, ignoring the stunned look on Ling's face.

Then the prince had a idea.

"Lan Fan! Why don't you climb on my back too?" Ling squatted down all too eagerly with a broad grin.

Lan Fan blushed behind her mask, "Um..." and then she was suddenly lifted into the air.

By none other than her grandfather Fu, piggy back style.

"No need to burden yourself, Your Highness," he smiled but had a protective gleam in his eye as he watched Ling scramble to straighten up, well aware of the man's protectiveness over his granddaughter.

"Thank you grandfather," she whispered the last word to him fondly and he smiled affectionately at his granddaughter.

"Ha! Idiot..." Greed grinned, holding Mei's legs gently yet firmly to ensure she wouldn't fall as they trekked across the desert.

* * *

"Alright, who farted just now? Don't think I can't smell it," Greed whipped around, glaring at each and every one of them in the eye.

"Greed! Who the hell cares if anyone let loose?! We are in a freaking desert! I doubt the sand will get offended!" Ling barked, feeling irritated himself as the son burnt on his skull.

"Suits you right you stink bomb! HA! I have a shadow above my head and you don't! Of course it was you, who else would fart and then deny it..." Greed smirked.

"EVERYONE WOULD DENY IT YOU BASTARD!" Ling snarled, coming right up at Greed's face.

"SO THAT MEANS YOU DID YOU STINKER!" Greed grinned in triumph, bouncing Mei slightly in his grip as she laughed at the amused bickering between her cousin and the Homunculus.

Fu and Lan Fan sighed and observed them, comparing them more and more to infants than the adults they were supposed to be.

"This will be a very long journey..." Fu muttered, Lan Fan nodded and could only agree.

They had a small break and they were eating ramen with rice balls, the rice balls Greed immediately gulped down like a glutton but he had difficulty handling the sticks.

"What with this anyway? Can't you people eat with forks? Damn it..." Greed broke the sticks and cursed, he sent decorum to hell and slurped the ramen down.

"Sometimes I think that Gluttony and you switched personalities...I'm also surprised how you aren't fatter than him..." Ling commented, sighing at Greed's pig behavior.

Greed wiped his mouth clean and smirked cockily, "Heh, unlike the lazy-ass prince, _I_ train to keep fit! What do you think how I keep these abs tight an' sexy? It ain't no magic I can tell ya that much," Greed grinned like the devil himself as Lan Fan blushed behind her mask, thankfully for the protective shield it brought.

"Well, _I_ train too Greed!" Ling argued, crossing his arms like a scolded child.

"Oh yeah? When? You either, sleep, eat, steal other people's food, rob all restaurants of their stock, annoy the living shit outta the Elrics or sleep. When _exactly_ do YOU train _Your Highness_?" Greed mocked him, sticking his tongue out as he slapped his knee and laughed at the sour face Ling was making.

"I train whenever _you_ aren't watching! You forget we don't share the same body anymore!" Ling scoffed.

"Wait and _why_ do all your descriptions of my daily activities involve me eating or stealing food?!" Ling barked, steam coming out of his ears as the gang went to move forward again.

"Because the first thing you did when you came to Amestris was pretending not to speak their language and talking like a fucking psychopath and eating all their food without payin'! I think _you're_ Gluttony's long lost twin!" Greed crossed his arms, grinning.

"He has a point there young master..." Fu added, chuckling at the bickering of the two young men.

"Atta man Fu," Greed grinned, lifting his thumb up towards Fu who only shook his head at them.

"Um... ?" Mei asked with a bright blush.

"Yeah kid?" Greed asked her calmly, walking forward.

"Um...I...well I..." she stuttered, tripping over her words, not knowing how to phrase it.

"Just spit it out kid, I ain't getting younger down here," Greed roughly stated.

"I-I-I have to p-pee!" Mei confessed with a bright blush.

All hell broke loose.

"WHAT IN THE FUCKING SHI-?! GET THE HELL OFF MY HEAD?! PEE ON THE SAND NOT ON MY HEAD! IF I EVEN FEEL A FREAKING DROP YOU'RE RUNNING ALL THE WAY BACK TO XING YOU LITTLE RUNT!" Greed was holding Mei at arms length away from his face, running around like a madman as if she were an infant who needed her diapers be changed.

"Um...Mr. Greed? You can let me down now..." Xiao Mei rolled his eyes, climbing down Mei's arm and biting Greed's unprotected hand to let Mei go.

"OW! DAMN IT! DAMN THAT PANDA! LET ME AT HIM! LET ME AT HIM!" Greed cursed loudly, immediately lunging for the panda but he swiftly jumped away from Greed's prying fingers.

Ling landed on top of the Homunculus with a loud crash, "Greed! You are NOT chasing after a panda! LET THE POOR SOUL REST!" Ling pulled at Greed's hair, similar to his own, Greed kicked Ling's back with the back of his foot and propelled the prince off his back.

"You know what?! I don't _need_ to kill that panda! You're enough!" Greed lunged then at Ling, Fu just watched the whole charade with wide eyes.

Lan Fan was covering Mei Chang as she...did her business a few feet away from the arguing men, holding a blanket up to shield her entirely. Xiao Mei slipped beneath the blanket to join his master's side again on her shoulder.

"Children these days..." Fu shook his head.

* * *

 **Eheh...that was that...sorry for the major amount of randomness here Lily o.o I just felt like writing something funny...I hope it's good nonetheless!**


	23. Greed's Wrath

Aaaand this last chapter for this day! ^^ It's 11:40pm here...aw man...I could use some shut eye myself...*yawns* Otakugirl I hope you and the rest enjoy! Ok...now it's 12:32am...meh...

Curtains up!

* * *

 **Greed's Wrath**

"Heads up!" Greed shouted, punching Father in the face before kicking his stomach ,sending him straight for Ling, who was waiting at the opposite side.

Ling jumped in the air and spun once, kicking Father away to land harshly on his front. This was bad, he was weak and faced two powerful opponents, Greed and the Xingese prince.

He couldn't tell which one was which apart from their voices, Greed's was deeper while the prince's was lighter. However, they were careful not to talk too much and they even wore the same clothes, this posed a threat to him and his ultimate goal.

Father tried to keep track of both Greed's and the prince's movements but they were fast.

What he assumed was Greed, kept running around him in circles, mostly sticking to his field of vision at the front while the prince tended to stray toward the back and attack from his blind spots.

Damn it.

They switched seven times now, Father had no idea anymore who was who. He tried dodging or blocking their hits, but it seemed nearly impossible. They were slowly gaining the upper hand, he couldn't have that. If Hohenheim's kid arrived here, he would be in big trouble.

"Greed!" Father shouted angrily, hoping for the Homunculus to fall for the trick and react to his name being called.

"Yes old man?" both men answered at the same time, Father cursed, not knowing whose voice belonged to whom.

"Greed my son, I demand you to return to your Father's side and fight these vermins!"

"Pff yeah right, sorry to disappoint ya pops but that ain't my style," Greed taunted, teeth showing and all.

"Yeah, ya can't satisfy my avarice old man, besides fighting on the good side sorta has its perks, I get to play prince once this shit is over," ...this was increasingly difficult.

Not only couldn't Father tell them apart by appearance but also because the prince had obviously memorized and adapted accordingly to Greed's vocabulary and way of speaking as well as modifying his voice to a deeper tone, now nothing could tell them apart anymore.

Greed had wisely covered his Ouboros tattoo on his left hand with a bandage, the prince also wore one, so Father couldn't orientate himself on that.

Father grinned suddenly.

" _What the-? Ling! Bad news! The bastard's grinning like a sly fox! Why the fuck is he grinning?!"_ Greed spoke in their shared mind via mind link, it came in handy when in separate bodies.

" _Grinning? Do you think he's got something planned?"_ Ling felt uncertain.

" _I don't know but we will find out,"_ Greed went into motion, attack Father's back with his claws which were coated in his shield.

They had switched positions, Greed taking up the rear and Ling staying primarily in Father's field of vision to confuse the bastard even more.

"Arghh!" Ling released a loud battle cry, charging straight for Father.

The next thing Greed heard wasn't a yelp of pain or a grunt from the man that had created him, rather it was the sounded of flesh tearing apart, as well as a startled gasp from...Ling?

What the hell?

When Greed turned around, his violet eyes widened in horror, " _LING!"_

He saw how the body of the prince was impaled by Father's hand in his stomach, blood soaking the front of his shirt and Father's arm and robe.

No...

This wasn't happening...

' .Happening!

Father roughly removed his hand from within Ling's stomach, blood gushing out from the excess wound.

Ling's eyes met Greed's and that's when something inside the Homunculus snapped when he saw in how much pain he was as his body fell to the ground.

Greed released a pained cry from deep within his tortured soul, immediately charging at the man as he sliced one arm off, clawing repeatedly at his back, kicking and punching him wildly.

Father tried to retaliate but was met by Greed's flying fist as it came crashing into his face, Greed grabbed Father's leg before he could be swept off his feet by the impact, slamming him hard against the ground then swinging him up and slamming his leg against his chest.

Father came crashing toward the ground, shattering earth and debris flying everywhere, but Greed wasn't done yet, not as long as that abomination kept breathing and that stone still pulsing inside of him.

Father never saw the clawed hand plunging into his chest from behind, right there where his heart would be, instead replaced by a red stone. Greed held the stone in his grasp, blood running down his arm as he shattered the stone between his fingers.

Father's eyes turned wide and completely white, his mouth falling open as he now hung limply only held up by Greed's arm.

Greed pressed his foot against his back and roughly kicked him away before he sprinted towards Ling and propped him up, his head against Greed's knee as he assessed the damage.

Violet eyes widened in horror.

He was losing blood. A lot. And fast.

There was a large hole in Ling's stomach, blood steadily flowing from his mouth.

No...

"L-Ling...hey Ling! Ling!" Greed pressed his hand against Ling's wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

It was futile, Greed knew, but he couldn't give up.

"Ling! HANG IN THERE DAMN IT! DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME YOU BASTARD! WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER!" Greed shouted helplessly, blood was seeping through his fingers...

No...it...it...

"G-Greed..." Ling muttered, coughing out more blood.

"What the hell are ya doing?! Rest you fool!" Greed suddenly felt his eyes sting.

What was this?

"L-listen, Greed...i-it's ok...everything's alright..." Ling, with great difficulty, smiled brightly up at Greed, for the last time.

Ling's eyes closed, Greed's opened.

He had lost the one person that had accepted him first, lost the person he could count on and trust...he had lost his best friend...

Ling...

No...

The stinging in his eyes was back full force.

The Homunculus Greed the Avaricious...

Shed tears for the first time in his life...

* * *

The only thing Ed and the others heard from a distance was a terrifyingly pained cry and they knew something must have been wrong.

Very wrong.

 **Hope it was good OtakuGirl! ^,^**


	24. I Feel Good!

Hey everyone, I'm glad you all e enjoyed my updates so far! **Um**...hehe...I'm sorry if the last chapters didn't seem so well written, I had been dead tired and speed-typed with half open eyes . ...and a half working brain :P

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily : **Hey Lily! Haha Thanks a lot :3 It's always good to hear that my stories are decent ^^. Hahaha weeell, I don't mind hearing it haha Thanks so much! Ah yeah, I liked writing that scene too, I just thought what would Greed do in that situation and since I didn't incorporate Alex Armstrong much in my fics I thought why not give him a small, funny moment ;) About the "Ed kidnapped by fan girls" part, I was thinking originally that he be kidnapped by enemies but then I couldn't come up with enemies formidable enough so I came up with the deadliest enemies known to handsome anime characters; fan girls ^^ Oh, sorry if Greed is swearing too much! (sweat drop) I tried keeping him in character and since I suspect he would swear a bit more when angry/irritated...etc. hehe sorry! Don't worry I won't bring up the f-bomb as much, I myself don't swear (unless I'm really, REALLY angry, thankfully that's not often the case).haha Bitte ;) Sorry it's such a long review...

 **Winry Rockbell : **haha of course it does ;) Greed's such a softie, the phrase "iron shell and soft core" seriously suits him :3

 **IndigoWolfie:** hehe yup...you know...I know it's not a request but...you just gave me an idea! :D haha I could write a chapter about Ling using Greed's softer side as blackmail against him! If everyone wants that :P haha

 **OtakuGirl:** Gihi, you're welcome! Seriously they are? Lol I didn't read any fanfics so far but I saw a few memes in that scene (I think it was in the original FMA series) where Ed is chained to a wall, I think it was before his battle with Cornello (that corrupt priest) ^^ (chuckles in embarrassment, scratching head) Uhhh...eheheh, sorry 'bout that, I'm a little evil at times :P ^.^

 **Penguin19:** haha Sure thing! I hope I'll update today since I still need to update two of my other stories pronto! :3 August 15th huh? Haha Well, I'll surprise you then, I hate to give spoilers to people! ;)

 **Emma:** Definitely! I'm not usually one for sappy things but I thought it would be cute and romantic and something Ed would at least consider :3 You mean in the fight with Father? Yeah I could write that. I actually meant Greed  & Winry as in a pairing/couple if I should write them or just friendship/family chapters? I'm not sure if there are any Greed/Winry shippers here lol Oh really? Xiao Mei is a "she"? O.o oopps...thanks for the tip!

 **Anonymous J:** hahaha Don't worry about that! ;) It's alright, I more than understand :3 Good luck with school though! Thanks for the compliments! :D

 **This one shot is dedicated to Panic! I read your review and I understand that some life decisions/events can really shake you up whatever it is, so I hope you'll be a bit happier with my one shots!** **J**

 **Enjoy everyone!**

 **I Feel Good!**

Winry cracked her eyes open abruptly as she heard the loud music in the kitchen downstairs. When she fully opened her eyes and sat up in bed, straightening her nightgown, she saw Ed wasn't in bed with her.

She blinked, looking all over the room and deciding her husband definitely wasn't here.

"Ed..." she grit her teeth, grabbing her ever trusty wrench from the night desk, a girl had to be prepared in case of house robbers, enemies suddenly infiltrating their home or the grabby hands of her husband...or when he got on her nerves.

Winry yawned and walked downstairs slowly, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw Ed, in nothing but his boxers and socks, sliding over the polished floor boards as he rocked his head back and forth to the music. She giggled in amusement and saw Den wagging with her tail happily and watching Edward dance and slide along the floor boards.

"I feeelll gooodd!" Edward suddenly sang, spotting Winry staring at him and laughing, motioning for her to join him in dancing.

But Winry shook her head, content to just watch as she thought she wasn't a good dancer herself. Ed however shook his head with a bright smile and danced his way towards her, grabbing his wife's hands and spinning her in the air around, holding her by the waist as they both laughed.

"Ed!" Winry laughed and kissed her husband back when he affectionately kissed her on the mouth.

"Finally awake sleepy head?" Ed grinned wickedly, grabbing a wooden ladle and using it as a substitute microphone as he sang the lyrics of the song.

Winry laughed and, with her socks on, slid along the floor towards Ed, using her wrench as a microphone.

When Ed saw the wrench he instinctively tried to slip away but Winry wrapped an arm around his head and forced his face against her chest, singing loudly to the music, completely oblivious to her husband's blushing and dreamy face.

* * *

Greed and Ling were already at it. They were singing the lyrics to the sound like maniacs, Greed dressed in boxers while Ling had boxers and a robe.

"If I ruled the world! If I ruled the woooorld!" Greed sang, "If you were my girl, you'd never have to worry about another thing no, cause I rule the world!"

"So everybody get up, up, outta your seats!" Ling sang the next part, sliding on the floor on his knees," Kick off your shoes like you're down at the beach! And jump up, up up on the beat! Singing a-oh, a-oh!"

" I'd be beating on my chest, I'm the king of the hill, iyaz and big time rush keepin' it real, magic carpets girl we go wherever. I ain't trying a run game, I ain't trying to be clever," Greed sang along to the song, punching Ling in the face out of sheer happiness, jumping on a nearby stool as he continued singing.

"Girl I'm a be a king and you will be the queen, going a hundred miles an hour, girl we runnin' the streets," Ling sang the next part again, face on the floor with a few loose teeth.

Lan Fan sighed, drinking her tea as she leaned against the doorframe and watched her two favorite men sing half naked in their chambers.

"If I ruled the wooorllddd!" Greed and Ling sang together this time, grinning from ear to ear.

* * *

"Hey Juliiettt, hey Juliet!" Roy Mustang sang happily in his underwear.

"Hey I've been watching you, every little thing you do, every time I see you pass in my office class, makes my heart beat fast," he grinned, sparks seemingly sparkling near his face as he pointed with a smug expression at his beloved wife in her bathrobe.

"Hey Juliet!" Roy continued singing, "I just want you to know, I wanna be your Romeo, heey Juliieeettt! Hey Juliet!" he sang, completely unperturbed by Riza's cold attitude.

"Cause I know you really want me," Roy smirked and winked cockily at his wife, who rolled her eyes and dug her face deeper in the newspaper, a blush rising to her cheeks.

"I think you're fine, you really blow my mind, baby, someday, you and me could run away!" tears streamed down Roy's face as Black Hayate appeared beside it's second owner and cried with him.

"Oh Black Hayate! Sometimes I think you're the only one with a heart!" Roy cried waterfall tears, nearly choking the dog against his face as he hugged him while shooting his wife a prominent dirty look.

Riza sighed heavily and muttered under her breath," Oh Romeo, take me away," she couldn't believe she just said that, just so Roy didn't feel "sad" anymore.

In the next minute, she was thrown off her chair by a very happy Roy Mustang, who attacked her with kisses and hugs.

Riza sighed with a smile, shaking her head at her overexcited husband.

All was well.

 **Hehe I hope this cheered everyone up! Please listen to the songs I'll now list here, it's funnier when you imagine the scenes and listen to the songs. 1# song : "I Feel Good" by James Brown. 2# "If I Ruled the World" by Big Time Rush and 3# "Hey Juliet by LMNT.**


	25. A Fight Between Idiots

**Hi everyone!**

 **Sorry!:** Anyways, I really hope you guys don't mind! I just have this idea stuck in my head for some damn long time now and I just have to finally put it to paper! Or uh…document. Your prompts will of course come as soon as I'm able don't worry! Thanks for your understanding everyone!

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **00cdf:** Hi there, thanks for reviewing my story. Abandoned you say? How so? Because I try to update regularly, I'm sorry but I have no idea what you mean.

 **Lily:** Ahh, that's a good idea! Haha I'll write it up as soon as I can! Promise! ;)

 **Panic:** (grins cheerfully) haha Thanks! That's alright, like I mentioned in some of my other fics as well, I care about my readers since they take their time to read my stories and help me improve them, for that alone they deserve my respect and help in return! :D Aww thanks! Here's a virtual hug for you Panic! (hugs)

 **Bob:** Sure thing Bob!

Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

 **A Fight Between Idiots**

"Winry…go back inside, you'll get a damn heat stroke out here," Ed grumbled as he took the wooden plank she offered to him and nailed it to the roof.

A nasty storm passed over Resembool the night before and destroyed most of the fragile planks that had been previously covering the roof of the Rockbell home.

Since Winry and Pinako had been living alone while Ed and Al had been journeying, they were unable to replace the old wooden planks with newer, sturdier ones. Ed had heard from Pinako that Winry had wanted to do it countless of times, but she once nearly broke her arm for it and Pinako had forbidden her to do it ever since.

"I'm fine Ed. I can't believe yesterday it was raining buckets and now we are all _sweating_ buckets!" she wiped her sweaty forehead with her forearm, wearing her overalls, wrapped around her waist with her black top with the white stripe in the middle where her zipper was.

As Ed got older he detested that top with all his being, _especially_ when she wore it in the presence of other men.

"Hey Ed, pass me the nail over there please!" a lighter, male voice called out to Ed from somewhere above him.

Ed growled under his breath and passed a nail to a guy he prayed he would never meet again.

Robert Windmill.

Yeah, his last name was Windmill. Ed may not have lived for very long in Resembool but ever since he was forced to go to Resembool for maintenance checks, he saw him, in the Rockbell home, in Winry's workshop…with her…talking to her occasionally and then more often.

At first Ed thought nothing of it, but then he recognized the signs.

The signs that Robert had a crush on Winry.

It started out innocently enough, Robert bringing flowers to Winry, Robert helping out Winry in her workshop even if he didn't have a sliver of an idea of what the heck he was doing, Robert making Winry laugh and looking at her dreamily…yeah…

As Ed got older, he felt... _weird_ seeing Winry and him together, not that Winry was encouraging his affections, at least it didn't look like that to Ed.

But it sure looked like she didn't mind his company, the way she was smiling at him, and bringing him lemonade…alright, he got lemonade as well but that just wasn't the point.

"You sure do look hot Winry huh?" the words made Ed clench his teeth and his tighten his fists.

"Yeah, I know I'm pretty sweaty, it's pretty hot isn't it?" Winry again wiped her sweaty forehead, laughing along with Robert. Ed climbed down the roof with a menacing glare.

"Ed, where are you going?" Winry called out to him.

"Oh don't worry, I'm just going for little alchemists…" he called back, a dark frown on his face as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

He _hated_ Robert like the plague. Why didn't Winry throw wrenches at _him?_

"Oh Winry, would you like me to massage your shoulders? You look tense," Robert offered with a kind smile.

What Ed hated even more about Robert? He was nearly everything Ed wasn't.

While Ed did grow after the whole ordeal of gaining his and Al's bodies back and was considered tall, being taller than Winry and a few inches taller than Al and Greed, Robert was a few centimeters taller than Ed but just a few, barely noticeable, good-looking (as said by many women), had a farm, was _buff_ how Greed once described _himself_ as, had those innocent-blue-eyes, that charm (Ed didn't know _what_ charm), he was good with people and he was very helpful and friendly enough.

Ed _wasn't_ good with people, at least not so much with his peers, he usually had that problem when he was younger but he found it to be slightly difficult interacting with people his age from the village. They were just so _boring_.

Who cared if their crops were growing well? Who cared that their cows were the fattest ones among all? Who cared if some hag had eight kids with the same man? Not Edward Elric.

Whenever he tried to talk about Alchemy, while they, at least most, have heard of it, they had no idea what it was. Ed had long ago dropped bothering to explain the mechanics behind Alchemy, hah, _mechanics._

Ed was buff, a word Greed frequently uses to describe himself, and essentially Ling as, if he did say so himself…he worked out damn it. He _was_ friendly, just not with people who insulted his family or alchemy with no idea what they were talking about. And he certainly was good-looking, he may not hear it so often but he knew he wasn't ugly...right?

"Brother, why aren't you with Winry and Robert?" Ed's skin prickled and his blood boiled at the vile name.

"I was thirsty Al," a little white lie could never hurt right?

"But Winry just brought you lemonade," Al titled his head, perplexed.

"I wanted to drink more," Ed grit his teeth.

"Then where is your drink?" Al had the possibly smuggest look on his face with his arms crossed and his smile almost cat like in nature.

"I ate it," well…Ed never said he was the best liar out there…now did he?

"Oh brother…when will you just tell her? I told Mei as well," his brother's eyes softened but Ed was still was as stubborn as ever.

"Tch, tell her what? I don't need to tell her anything Al," Ed crossed his arms, discreetly watching as Winry laughed at something _Robert_ said.

"Look at him, acting so cocky," Ed snorted and Al just sighed, shaking his head.

He rested his hand on his elder brother's broad shoulder, "I'm going to go to town to buy some groceries alright? You try not to bite Rob's head off, please,"

" _Rob_? Since when do you call him _Rob_?" Ed narrowed his eyes," Whatever, you don't have to, Winry and I are going to town soon anyway, we will buy the groceries," Al rose an eyebrow but decided to leave it, handing Ed the grocery list.

With a irritated roll of his eyes, Ed picked out a clean button up shirt and draped it over his shoulder holding it with his finger as he walked toward the talking duo.

Oh yes, he hated Robert Windmill.

"Sorry Robert, do you think you can manage until Ed and I are back?" Winry asked nervously as she watched Robert nearly hit his finger with the hammer, _again_.

"Sure thing Winry, don't worry. Are you sure you don't want me to go to town with you? I'm not sure if Ed remembers the route so well since he hasn't been here in a pretty long time," something in Ed snapped suddenly, loudly.

"Well, Robert, since I'm back for months already I know where I'm going _don't worry_ ," Ed shot him a dangerous glare but Robert just smiled politely.

"Yeah and don't worry I live here too you know? I know the route as well," Winry sounded slightly offended and Robert immediately sprung into action to correct himself.

"N-No that's not what I meant! I know you know the way but I-I was just worried for your safety Winry!" he waved his arms frantically, chuckling in embarrassment.

" _Loser,"_ Ed thought with a crooked grin, turning his back to the awkward man as he and Winry walked along the dirt path toward town.

Both winced as they heard a pained yelp from Robert and then the distinctive voice of Al as he asked if he was alright and offered his help.

Ed sighed heavily in relief of being away from that man, he crossed his arms behind his head as he walked.

"Ed?" he opened an eye to look at Winry's questioning baby blues.

"Yeah?"

"What do you have against Robert?" she tilted her head to the side, blinking in confusion.

"Huh? Why do you think I have something against him?" Ed uncrossed his arms, turning his full attention to his far too perceptive childhood friend.

"Well, I noticed how you kept sending him dirty looks and you refused his help on fixing the roof until I persuaded you to accept," this time she crossed her arms, carrying a empty basket with her.

"Tch, I don't need help from someone who can't hit a nail straight, at least not after he nearly breaks his whole hand, it's a miracle how that guy has all his fingers," Ed scowled, trying to play it off as nothing serious, "It's no wonder the roof broke down if _he_ fixed it before,"

Winry's eyes widened, "You're jealous aren't you?!" her eyes were wide, astonished.

Ed's golden eyes widened and he nearly tripped on a small pebble before quickly regaining his composure, "W-what?! W-why the hell should I be jealous of that milk drinker?!"

Winry sighed and stopped walking, "Ed, it's alright, I…well…the truth is I don't really like him either, that much…he's pretty clingy actually… _too_ clingy…he once kept scaring nearly all my customers away because he didn't want me to get hurt by handling "such sharp and dangerous objects". Granny kicked him out soon after," Winry sighed in frustration as they continued as they continued walking.

"What? He was keeping you from working on automail? I was sure you would have thrown your wrench at him and told him off, what's wrong? Gotten soft Win?" Edward grinned as Winry shoved him playfully.

"Knock it off Ed, it wasn't like that. He's alright but…just not my type." Ed perked up at this, his brows raising in curiosity.

"Your type? What do you mean?" thousands of ideas and theories were running through Ed's head, none of them good, "Did he ask you out or what?" he couldn't – didn't want to – believe it.

Winry suddenly looked a bit uncomfortable, "Well…he did actually, multiple times. I used another excuse every time but I'm running out of excuses…"

Ed snorted, "He asked _you_ out? Oh man, that guy must be desperate. Who could blame him, he does spend his days with cows after all…" Ed shoved his hands in his pockets, trying hard not to feel the telltale signs of jealousy nipping at his mind.

" _Edward_!" he didn't expect it, he thought Winry had lost her golden fist or wrench since they turned to young adults.

Oh how very wrong he was.

But unlike how he expected, she didn't punch him, rather, she _slapped_ him. Hard.

"What do you mean by that? That no man could show interest in me without living with cows all day?! Am I that bad? You know what, maybe I _should've_ accepted his offer instead of waiting for you, you idiot!" Winry ran off to town on her own and Edward saw her tears before she had turned away from him.

Ed rubbed the stinging spot where Winry hit him, he cursed under his breath, he messed up, big time. The former State Alchemist shook his head and started running after the woman.

" _Great just what I need. What the hell was she thinking anyway? Damn it, I had no idea she would take it that way, that was supposed to be a compliment! Women…now I know why I had problems with them before…"_ Ed supposed this was different.

No, he _knew_ this was different. Because it was Winry, because she wasn't like the other women he met on his journeys. Because this was Winry Rockbell, his childhood friend, the girl that saved his life along with Granny, the reason he could even go on his journey's thanks to her amazing skills as a mechanic and the first one ever to create prosthetic limbs.

Ed frowned, there were so many things he never got around to tell her. How amazing she was, how brave she was, boarding a train and going to Central just to fix his automail…damn it all to hell, sometimes, he wanted to hit himself with a wrench, as crazy as that sounded.

"Winry!" he shouted out to her loud and clear but she ignored him, continuing to run ahead.

Edward grit his teeth and sped up his pace, finally catching up to her and grabbing her wrist, leading her to a more quiet part of the street so they didn't have an audience.

"Ed, let me go!" Winry growled, trying to free her wrist from his grip.

"Would you just shut up and listen to me for once?!" he suddenly shouted at her, which caused her to stop talking and look up at him in surprise.

Ed suddenly froze, not knowing how to react with her being so quiet all so suddenly, he had expected one hell of a fight. He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling awkward and nervous, the effects that woman had on him, "I'm sorry,"

"W-what?" Winry blinked, not believing what she just heard. She definitely heard wrong, there was no way Ed could have said-

"I'm sorry, Winry," Ed repeated his earlier words, looking on the ground in shame, "I…shouldn't have said that…"

"You shouldn't have Edward…" Winry wrapped her arms around herself, looking at her shoes.

"Just, just listen to me for once alright?" he reprimanded softly, "You…you got it wrong…I didn't mean that you weren't worth it…I…" Edward bit his lip before he suddenly shouted it out, "What I meant was that he isn't good enough for you!"

He snapped his mouth shut, freezing like solid ice on the spot. Damn…he let too much spill…now he's seriously a goner…Oh Al…his beloved brother, and Den…and Granny…may they overcome his death easier…

"Ed…" Winry couldn't believe it, she didn't know Edward Elric for so long and not know how to decipher "Edward-talk". Sometimes she also prided herself in being a pro, but now she felt embarrassed to say the least.

"I'm sorry Winry, it's um…it's just the heat huh? Phew, looks like I got heat stroke already, I don't even know what I'm talking about anymore," Edward tried to play it cool and casually walk pass her but Winry stopped him with a hand on his forearm.

Her lips were trembling, "Why…why didn't you tell me this before?" Blue eyes clashed with gold.

Ed swallowed hard, averting her gaze, "I don't know what you mean Win,"

"Edward," she tightened her grip on his bicep, "Look at me," Ed looked down at Winry and was mildly surprised to see the intense emotions in her eyes.

He heard a couple of times that the eyes were the windows to one's soul. Ed snorted.

"Come on, let's go Winry, let's not worry Granny by being gone for too long," Edward grasped her hand in his larger one and led her to the marketplace.

"Edward-" Winry was about to stop him,

"I know," he suddenly said, still leading her by her hand and she noticed for the first time how big his hand was, enveloping her own nearly completely, and how _warm_ it was. Ed turned his head slightly so his golden eyes met her blue ones, "I know Winry," he smiled, a genuine, soft smile.

Winry gasped soundlessly, feeling her heart accelerate as she deciphered his behavior and words.

A warm smile grazed her lips in the next minute, her eyes softening as she grasped Edward's hand in turn and tightened her hold.

Ed had stopped for half a second, barely noticeable, but he did. He looked over his shoulder at her again and saw her smiling up at him.

He had no chance of stopping the happy grin from forming on his handsome face.

* * *

Ed and Winry were already walking home with groceries in tow when they heard the pained scream. Both shared a look and sped up towards home, seeing Al, Robert and Pinako at the porch in the distance.

"We heard someone scream. What happened? Did Rina come here or what?" Ed asked, looking all around for the woman but he didn't find her anywhere.

Rina was the neighbor three houses down, Ed heard that Rina used to visit Winry a couple of times to see how she was fairing also Winry had to design a automail leg for one of her cows so she also came for regular check-ups.

Winry looked around too, "Weird...I could have sworn I heard Rina shouting..."

Pinako smoked her pipe with a grin, "Actually, it was this young man here, it seemed like he slipped off the roof and hit his thumb again with the hammer," Winry and Ed looked down at Robert, whose lips were trembling and his thumb was wrapped up in a band aid.

Winry looked like she would run inside the house, grab her wrench and hit Robert upside the head with it. Ed looked like he would die of laughter as he covered his mouth to muffle his chuckles.

"I'm sorry Winry...I...sort of slipped and...and...w-well..." he miserably pointed up at the roof.

Winry and Ed's eyes widened in shock at the roof before them, it...it...

IT LOOKED EVEN WORSE THAN BEFORE!

Ed grabbed the collar of Robert's shirt tightly and lifted him up at eye level, barking at his face like a angry dog, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO THE ROOF?! EVERYTHING I DID UNTIL NOW IS GONE?! DID YOU LOSE YOUR BRAIN ALONG WITH THE PLANKS UP THERE OR WHAT?!" Ed shook him violently as he spoke.

"Um...b-brother, please calm down I don't think-" Al stood up and tried to help Robert and prevent Ed from killing the poor fool.

"CALM DOWN?! CALM DOWN?! HOW CAN I CALM DOWN WHEN I HAVE TO FIX THE ROOF ALL OVER AGAIN?! LOOK AT THIS AL! THIS IS EVEN WORSE THAN WHAT THE STORM DID TO IT! IT LOOKS LIKE ARMSTRONG CAME FLYING FROM THE SKY AND CRASH LANDED THERE!" steam was coming out of Ed's nose like a raging bull, giving poor Robert the evil eye.

"Ed..." Winry suddenly hit the back of his head with her wrench, causing Ed to drop Robert and automatically yelp in pain.

"Ow! Winry! What the hell?!" Ed growled at her, glaring at her wrench. Why did she hit _him_ now? _He_ didn't demolish the whole roof in the span of half an hour!

Winry stood in front of Robert, who hastily straightened up and fixed his collar properly.

"Ugh, let me get the tools, Al and I will go and fix the roof," Ed grabbed Al by the scruff of his shirt at the back of his neck.

"W-wait! Brother! Didn't you say I was too weak to do any labor?" Al panicked, profusely sweating.

"Don't be such a lazy bum Al, come on now," Ed sighed heavily, dragging his younger brother with him.

Then Robert suddenly called after the Elric brothers, rather smugly, "Sorry Ed, but I've fixed the Rockbell roof a couple of times before so I know my way around," he sounded confident, _too_ confident. Ed twitched.

Ed chuckled humorlessly, "Yeah I can see that, no wonder nearly the entire roof breaks apart after the wind picks up a bit. Sorry _Robert_ , but I won't be going anywhere for some time which means _I_ will be the one to fix the roof," Al just kept staring back and forth between the two men, wishing he had his suit of armor to protect him from stray projectiles and flying fists.

"Thanks for the help Robert, but Ed's here now so you can go home now," Winry was standing beside Ed, wearing a carefully concealed smile on her face, trying to hide her immense annoyance, "And he will stay for a pretty long time," she looked up at Ed, who smiled affectionately down at her and nodded.

Robert blinked rapidly, "W-what? B-but I thought-"

"You heard the lady, get off our lawn," Ed crossed his arms, purposely flexing his muscles slightly to try and intimidate the man even more.

Robert looked like he wanted to fight but at Pinako's very terrifying, very obvious glare aimed his way, he thought better of it.

"R-right, sorry! Have a nice day!" Ed had never seen anyone run as fast as Robert had that day.

Ed grinned in triumph, discreetly bumping fists with Al behind his back.

Then he met a very old friend of his, ladies and gentleman, meet Winry's wrench.

He rubbed his aching head, "What the hell is your problem woman?!" he had no idea why he was hit with that wretched thing again.

Winry snorted and grabbed Ed's arm, "Well? What are you waiting for? Let's go and fix the roof, I'll help," his anger forgotten, Ed blinked in surprise, looked at the back of Winry's blond head as her pony tail swished from side to side.

He looked back at Al and granny Pinako, wearing cat-like grins on their faces as they waved.

Edward sighed, shaking his head with a fond smile as he followed Winry toward the shed to retrieve their tools and finally fix the poor, abused roof.

* * *

 **Bonus scene:**

"This is nice, isn't it Edward?" Winry asked sleepily, nearly falling asleep with her head resting against Edward's chest.

"Mhm," he mumbled, nearly asleep himself. He tightened his grip around Winry's waist, cuddling her closer to him. Yeah, life was sweet.

Then there was a knock on the door and that certain somebody opened it.

"Oh Winry, Edward! Hello! Long time no see! Listen Winry, I saw Robert earlier today and he looked beaten up, do you have any idea why-" the door was slammed shut with a precise and strong aim of a wrench hurled at it.

Rina was knocking on the door and after a few minutes mumbling something about coming back tomorrow.

Winry smiled wider, "Nice aim," she nuzzled his chest like a cat.

"Thanks," Ed grinned too, holding her close, "I learned from the best," he pecked Winry on the top of her head.

"Touché," Winry fired back, smiling happily as they both fell asleep after some time.

"Hm...interesting," Pinako whispered to Al from the kitchen, watching Ed and Winry sleeping.

Al sighed in relief, "I'm glad it's over, I was sure brother would throw him off the roof,"

"I never liked him anyway," Pinako admitted with a secretive smile, smoking her ever present pipe.

Al sweat dropped.

 **The end for this one shot! Thanks for reading everyone!**


	26. A Mechanic's Wrath

Yo everyone! Here's another chapter for you all!

I humbly ask for some patience...I just have these ideas stuck in my head since forever and I just want to write them down so that that little annoying voice (which suspiciously sounds like my own) will FINALLY shut up and let me fulfill your requests in peace! . (Yeah, yeah I'm crazy :P ) ;)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily : **haha Thanks! I re-watched FMA Brotherhood (I'm on episode 52 atm) and after I re-watched the scene where Ed and Winry had that small fight at the Rockbell house (I think it was episode 41-42 something like that) I had that idea on how they would react if the other would be jealous ^^ For your newer review on Chapter 3: *.* T-thanks girl! (hugs) Naw thank you! I was sure I had screwed up since I kept writing the scenes from my memory alone, I haven't started re watching the series then. T.T

 **Bob : **(hides in a corner in shame) Ohh...oh...OH...T_T Thanks Bob...sometimes I'm such a tin can...ugh...well in my defense...I didn't get much sleep . I'm glad there are smart and NORMAL people around me sheesh

 **Anonymous J : **(grins) Thanks! Yeah, I get the feeling like Pinako is that deceptive, quirky grandma that knows exactly what's going on and ships EdWin :3 Yeah, I made Robert look like something of a hunk but sound like a wimp... meh ^_^

 **Jadasimone16 : **Hihi, I have full intentions to write that one! Hope you're happily surprised! ;)

 **Penguin19 : **Ohh I like that scene! I love it, so dramatic :D haha Sure thing, I'll try to be quick with the other updates, hope I can capture the moment well.

 **00cdf : **Hey there! I'm sorry if I misunderstood your review earlier, did you mean that I should try and continue the story the 'Shinobi Alchemist'? I'm not too sure if I'm good enough to continue it though eheh...

 **Panic : **T_T (sniff) (sniff) You are awesome Panic! Nawww (wipes tear away) I can't believe someone seriously dedicated their awesome work to me! Thank you, thank you, thank you SO much! (hugs tightly) Sorry...so overcome by feelings right now! ^^ This came so completely unexpected...oh god I feel like I'm gonna cry happy tears! (weeps like a baby)

OF COURSE I like the pic, I love it! To be honest, I never thought anyone would even bother reading any of my fics, since I'm an amateur writer and all, but I'm so unbelievably happy and glad that people enjoy them and draw comfort from them in their time of need :) Thanks for this wonderful work of art Panic/ Celestiallnk! :D You've made a amateur writer very happy today! And yes this sounds weird, but I check regularly to see if my awesome followers/readers reviewed/favorited my stories and I get so damn excited over it! :3 Thanks again Panic! :)

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **A Mechanic's Wrath**

Winry smiled politely and sipped her tea, her right eye twitching ever so subtly as she made conversation with her not so usual... _guests_.

Ever since Edward and Al had returned with their original bodies and the months had steadily passed, these so called 'guests' of Winry's, women of all ages, had started to come to the house at random times and were asking for a certain older Elric brother.

Winry's eye twitched again as a young woman of twenty years of age, Rebecca from Central, cleared her throat and looked all around the kitchen, "Say, Winry was it? I don't mean to be rude but...where _is_ Edward?" all the women, which must have been six at least, started whispering loudly.

Winry had no idea why a woman from Central was even here in Resembool to begin with...she couldn't imagine anything that Ed would help her with and if she did need help with whatever it was she needed help with...why didn't she simply ask authorities in Central and not travel all the way here?

For once, Winry bit her tongue from offering a quirky remark she knew would end in a cat fight, "I'm sorry, um...Rebecca was it? I told you all, Edward and his brother Alphonse are helping out a neighbor, I'm not sure when they will be back,"

"Really? But you said that over half an hour ago! How long do they need for whatever they must be doing? Well, in actuality we only need Edward Elric, we don't need his brother Alphonse," another woman, this one in her late thirties, said.

Winry rose an eyebrow for the umpteenth time, "Um...I know I asked this before, but why _exactly_ do you only need Edward? Does he know you all?" Winry felt her pulse beating quicker and her hands _itching_ to grab for her trusted wrench, but she decided to be ladylike this once.

Thankfully, or not, a woman from _Resembool_ Winry saw a few times, Lena, said casually, "Well, I'm not so sure if he does. I think he may have seen me a couple of times but _knowing_ is a tad too much. You see Winry, I need my roof fixed, my idiot husband is too stupid to even use a hammer right, let alone fix a roof, and you know I'm completely clueless with these things," she shrugged nonchalantly, scratching her cheek.

Winry blinked, looking at each of the annoyed women, before leaning back in her chair and sighing heavily.

"Let me get this straight, you, you, you, you _and_ you need all your roof fixed, right?" the women Winry pointed at nodded, "And you, you and you need your...kitchen to be fixed?"

A woman Winry had pointed at, which she guessed was well over fifty clarified, "Well, actually, my sink is broken and my husband is too lazy to do it and I heard Edward is adept at fixing things," Winry had half a mind to ask the woman from where the hell she heard that but she kept her mouth closed.

"Aha..." Winry rubbed her forehead in frustration.

"Ugh, damn it Al, I thought you were holding it steady! I almost got kicked in the balls for that!" the voice of one irritated Edward Elric could be heard from just outside the house, all the women perked up.

"I'm sorry brother, I had no idea the horse would be so aggressive! Holding it steady while you cleaned it's hooves was harder than I thought..." Al's lighter voice could be heard, tired to reply to Ed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, I say we deserved a nice hot shower. Man, I hope Winry still has that apple pie left, that was delicious-" as Edward opened the door, holding his sweaty, dirty over his shoulder, leaving him in a dark navy blue, sleeveless shirt, exposing his muscular arms and most of his collarbone, his eyes widened at the sight of all the women in the room.

"Brother? What is it? Why aren't you going inside the-" Al's next words were cut off as he blinked rapidly, registering only just so all the women in the house.

"-house?" Al finished lamely, confused.

"Uhh...Winry? What is going on here?" Ed looked at the strangely eager and happy faces of all the women and wondered what the hell they were doing there. Were they here for Winry?

"I hope your balls are ok by the way," Ed froze when a younger woman with dirty blonde, short, curly hair suddenly said, offering him a sly smirk.

Ed felt his face grow hot in embarrassment, wait...they _heard_ that? Oh boy...

Winry looked ready to murder him.

Damn it all to hell.

"Edward, outside now. Alphonse, boil some coffee, I'll be _right_ back..." Winry forcefully grabbed Ed by his navy blue shirt, dragging his panicking state outside of the crowded house. Al looked after them as Ed gave him signals of panic and fear for his life, he slowly closed the door and turned toward the annoyed women.

Oh, oh.

"Uhm...h-hello...would you l-ladies like some coffee?" Al felt sweat rapidly forming on his head as he kept thinking of ways to escape when the females all fixed him with glares.

He was sure Ed was the luckier one in this situation.

* * *

"Ow! Not the hair woman! Ow!" Ed yelped in pain when Winry was tugging on his _braid_!

When they were far enough away from the house, Winry let go of his braid and turned toward him with her hands on her hips and an angry aura about her.

Ed sensed he was in trouble but for what he had not a sliver of an idea.

Wait...

Maybe he fed Den too much and Winry noticed her automail couldn't support the extra weight? Maybe he forgot to feed Granny and she was cranky about it? No wait Granny could feed herself...

Ed crossed his arms stubbornly, "Well, I have no idea why you are all angry at me! Who _were_ all these women back there? Friends of yours? Looking for automail check-ups or what?" Ed blinked in confusion like a innocent child.

Winry's eye twitched again, "I was about to ask _you_ that Edward! They all came here looking for _you_! Tell me – _why_ do women for the past few months come looking for you all of a sudden and asking you to 'fix their roof' or things like that? Most of them are married for god's sake!"

Ed pointed a accusing finger at her, "Hold it! Don't drag that fantasy deity into this! I'm an alchemist for...cookie's sake and I welcome it if you stop using that name in my presence!" Ed nodded, smiling in satisfaction.

"EDWARD!" Winry bonked him on the head hard, this time with her fist and not the wrench.

Ed glared at her, rubbing the aching spot on his skull, "Man, am I glad you don't have that blasted wrench on you now..." he straightened up and looked down at Winry in all seriousness, "Look, I don't _know_ why they suddenly come all the time, alright? Not like I asked them to come! Besides, the past few women kept telling me their husbands were stupid or something like that..." Ed scratched his head in confusion.

Winry sighed heavily, "You don't say..." she shook her head, "Any _other_ reason they may be looking specifically for _you_ and not Al too?" she couldn't wait to hear his answer.

Ed just looked as confused as ever, "How am I supposed to know? Maybe I'm just the better help in the house than him huh?" Ed smirked proudly, thinking that was the reason.

Winry looked at him for a few minutes, her eye twitched again and she hit him again, "OW! DAMN IT WINRY!" Ed hollered in pain.

"Alright Ed, go on and help them with whatever it is they need help with! Not like I need help or anything around the house," she turned away from him and started walking back toward the house.

Ed jogged after her, "Wait! What? What do you need help with around the house? Why didn't you tell me? You know I always have time for you!" Winry tried hard not to think too hard on that last statement.

"Forget it Ed, just go to those helpless women," Winry ignored him and left him standing completely confused.

The former State Alchemist watched his childhood friend go back inside the house with a frown, he ran a hand down his face in frustration.

"Oh man...what did I get myself into?"

* * *

"Oh thank you so much Edward!" Rebecca from Central, twenty five years of age, gushed happily as Edward craned his neck when he crawled away from underneath the now-repaired sink.

"You're welcome ma'am! It was nothing really," Ed grinned happily, massaging the aching muscles in his neck, he had been forced to bent at an uncomfortable angle for the past hour and it was starting to really bother him.

"Oh please stay and have supper with me! I have to repay you somehow! And please call me Rebecca," the woman smiled brightly, leaning slightly forward so her décolleté was more pronounced.

Edward though kept his gold eyes politely on her face, "Uh, no, no thank you. It's pretty late and I promised Winry I would be home as soon as I can," Ed smiled politely at her, grabbing his black leather coat from the chair he had placed it on.

Rebecca seemed persistent, "Really? Are you sure? I bet miss Rockbell will understand if you stay for a small chat and supper," she smiled like a cat, winking at the taller male.

Ed blinked, not quite understanding the obviously flirty gesture, "Uhm, didn't you say your husband was home? I bet he will want to eat with his wife in peace," Ed scratched the back of his neck, chuckling nervously.

"Oh well you know...he is very ill, he hadn't felt well in days-"

Suddenly, a deep male voice from above shouted loudly:" STOP TELLING THAT DAMN ELRIC THAT I'M SICK YOU BAT! STOP FLIRTING WITH THE POOR BOY AND PUT THAT RING BACK ON YOUR FINGER!"

Ed jumped at the loud volume the man had used and felt very out of place now, wait...the husband shouted he wasn't ill, then why was _he_ here?

"Uhm...thank you for the offer but I think I'm gonna go home now, good night! Good night sir!" Ed called at the presumably ill husband of Rebecca and was quick to get out of the house and out in the fresh air, straight toward home.

He cringed when he heard loud shouting and a few porcelain dishes being broken.

" _Poor people...I hope they fix their marriage problems soon,_ " Ed shook his head, whistling with his hands in his pockets as he walked along the dirt path, lost in his thoughts.

" _Hm...Winry mentioned something that she needed help around the house too...but with what? I fixed the roof a couple of months ago and called Greed over so he could harden it to perfection! I cook Tuesdays and Thursdays and I help clean around the house too. Ok, I don't do the laundry but she got mad at me for coloring her overalls black! It hadn't been my fault to begin with! She even told me to never touch the laundry again! What did she mean with that anyway?"_ all these thoughts were running through Ed's mind as he looked up at the pitch black sky, at the shining stars covering the entirety of it.

" _Sure is a beautiful night today, though slightly chilly too,"_ Ed pulled his coat slightly higher and closer to himself, " _Who knew summer nights could grow this cold,"_

Winry's words weren't giving Edward any peace, " _Help around the house...I don't get it. She can fix almost anything by herself, she's a master mechanic for cookie's sake! But she did have a point though, why all these women never asked for Al's help is beyond me. He can do most of the things I can, he can definitely fix broken sinks and roofs. So why me?"_ Ed rubbed his chin, so distracted by his thoughts that he almost bumped his toe against the flat underside of the stairs of the Rockbell-recently-Elric house.

Ed looked at the old house in surprise at his own distracted mind, before he climbed up the steps and opened the door, locking it behind him.

He breathed out a sigh of relief when the warmth from within greeted him and relaxed his tense, cold muscles.

It was good to be home.

Ed slid off his coat from his broad shoulders and hung it near the door on a rack, stretching his whole body before going toward the kitchen quietly. He figured that Granny, Al and Winry were asleep by now, as it was very late, so he opted to get a midnight snack before retiring for the night too.

Fixing sinks wasn't exactly a Sisyphus task but it hadn't been so easy either, the whole sink looked completely beaten up, dented in all sorts of weird places, like someone had kept beating it repeatedly with a hammer or something. At times like these, Ed missed his alchemy, it would have been done in seconds if he were able to use alchemy, but he didn't regret anything at all.

He loved the life he led now. A normal, relatively peaceful life. Free of pesky Homunculi, except for Greed of course, free of power hungry beings that almost swallowed 'God' and free of vengeful, powerful Ishvalan alchemists that had been after his and Al's hide.

Ed sighed, noticing that the light in the kitchen was still on, oddly enough.

Weird...did Winry or Granny forget to turn off the lights?

To his shock, it was none other than Winry sitting at the kitchen table, drinking what Ed assumed was tea and cookies.

Winry seemed startled to see him as well, her eyes widened when she spotted him and she released a barely audible gasp of surprise. However, she was quick to turn her attention back to her cup, her brows furrowing in a deep frown.

Ed's lips drew into a thin line and he sighed heavily, opening the fridge and finding, to his astonishment, a well stocked sandwich, wrapped in transparent foil inside.

He took it out and turned it around, looking it over, before he could open his mouth and ask if it was Al's, Winry cut him off, "I made it a few hours ago, I thought you might be hungry when you return,"

Ed closed his mouth shut, feeling his heart suddenly quicken at Winry's thoughtful and kind gesture. He unwrapped the thick sandwich partly at the top as he held it by the foil in his hand and took a healthy bite, his expression softened.

He swallowed down the food in his mouth and closed the fridge door, taking a seat beside Winry, "Thanks," he noticed his voice had turned slightly deeper with a softer tone to it.

"It's ok," Winry still didn't look at him, holding her tea with both hands to warm them as she impatiently waited for it to cool enough to drink.

She had gotten a little hungry before going to bed so she decided to drink some fresh tea and cookies, but she hadn't expected Ed to come back now. Winry sighed, today was not her day.

She hated it when they fought, not when they playfully bickered but when they seriously fought, she would feel all awkward and have that intense need to avoid Ed like he was the plague until she sorted out her thoughts.

In her younger days as a temperamental teenager, she would have confronted Ed head on so long until he gave up the fight, but she wasn't that girl anymore. She had grown, matured and she figured things couldn't work out her way all the time by attaining it with outbursts of anger and commands.

"Her husband wasn't ill," Ed suddenly said, breaking the awkward silence they had been in for far too long for Ed's taste.

Winry blinked in confusion and surprise, "W-what?" she had no idea what Edward was talking about.

Ed met her gaze, "The husband of that woman, Rebecca, I had to repair her sink today because her husband was apparently very ill. Well...turns out, she kept asking me to stay and have supper with her but I told her I had to go home. Then her husband suddenly shouted from upstairs that she should stop telling me he was sick and to 'put her ring back on her finger',"

There was a moment of silence before both childhood friends burst out laughing.

Winry wiped a imaginary tear from her eye," W-wait! You want to t-tell me that she didn't even n-need any help with her sink?"

"No she did, her sink looked even worse than me when my automail arm would be demolished," Ed chuckled, chewing on his sandwich.

Winry giggled and sipped her tea, dunking her cookies in it slightly and chewing on them, Ed looked at the cookies briefly, "Can I eat one too?" Winry couldn't help but giggling again at Ed's puppy look.

"Help yourself," she pushed the little plate of cookies towards him, "You want some milk with it?" she winked playfully.

Ed swallowed the cookie and glared at her playfully, "Ha ha, very funny," Winry and him laughed again at the age old joke.

"Hey, I...I'm sorry, whenever you need help around the house just tell me alright?" Ed couldn't bring himself to look at her.

Winry stopped laughing, noticing Ed's conflicted emotions, "Oh Ed...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I was just annoyed that's all,"

"But why?" Ed rose an eyebrow.

"It doesn't matter. I just didn't want them to use you and tire you out. I didn't mean what I said alright? It's ok," she smiled.

Ed frowned, "No, I mean it. If you need help with anything then please tell me alright?" he looked into her eyes, honestly.

"Ed..." Winry looked at him slightly surprised.

 **Cliffhangeeeer! Hihi, sorry! I actually meant to finish it but it seems like my laptop charger doesn't quite agree with it today ^^ I'll finish it tomorrow don't worry! Ideas are welcome though! ;)**


	27. A Mechanic's Wrath Part 2

Hihi, well here is the companion piece to " **A Mechanic's Wrath"** hope you enjoy! ;)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** haha Thank you Lily! :D Ah no, no that's not **the** Rebecca (Riza's close friend) nah, I don't think she would be interested in Ed…though she is searching for a man ;) haha Thanks Lily you have a wonderful day too! ^^

 **Bob:** haha Thanks Bob :3 Well, I can be stupid at times (most because of lack of sleep lol).

 **AnimeOtaku9000:** haha thank you so much! Well, if that's a request, I could write a little one shot where awkward Winry tries to tell Ed she's pregnant haha if you want.

 **Penguin19:** haha yeah I know, on the 15th right? If you like, I could write you a little birthday one shot, you get to decide though what you want me to write, anything at all. Long or short? Any pairings you want.

* * *

 **A Mechanic's Wrath Part 2**

"I mean, you're the best mechanic I know and you can do a lot of things around the house by yourself, without me. That's why I had been confused why you suddenly needed my help too," Ed gazed at her intently, trying to figure out what he had missed.

Winry bit her lip, her gaze downcast, "Ed, I...look, I _can't_ do all these things by myself alright? Do you know how many women keep looking at me strangely because I'm the only woman in the village that can repair her own roof and other things _without_ having a man do it?" Winry held her head in her hands, heaving a long, drawn out sigh.

Ed frowned, "What? But why? I think it's great if you don't have to rely on someone constantly, it's your way of style and I think more women shouldn't rely on their husband or a man to do things for them. You saved lives Winry, you enabled people without limbs to walk again and continue living like they used to, by yourself." Ed smiled at her as Winry peeked at him from behind her fingers.

"Really?" Ed nodded in encouragement.

He grinned, "Besides, if some of those women look down on you they have no idea how awesome you are! While they need help with repairing things, you do them with a snap of your fingers! That way me and Al also didn't have to worry so much about leaving you and Granny alone, because we knew you were fine on your own and independent."

Winry smiled but her eyes were still sad, "But Ed...sometimes I don't want to be independent..." her eyes widened when Ed placed his warm hand on her shoulder.

When she looked at him, his expression was soft and understanding, "That's why I'm here. I'll help you with things you can't always do by yourself. But you know what will never change?" Winry looked at him, "That you are and will always be different from all these other women, you're independent and you are a life saver, Winry, don't ever let them tell you something else," Ed grabbed her hand, squeezing gently.

Winry smiled warmly at him, "Thank you Ed," she blushed when she felt Ed was affectionately stroking her knuckles.

"Uh, r-right, well why don't we go to sleep huh? It's pretty late isn't it?" Winry quickly slipped her hand out of Ed's, putting the now empty dishes away and into the sink, straightening her hair and pushing the chair back inside the table.

Ed cleared his throat, feeling his face burn slightly as he swallowed the rest of his sandwich down and threw the foil in the bin.

He grabbed the pillow and the blanket, preparing to make himself a bed out of the couch in the living room, until Winry suddenly spoke.

"You coming?" Ed froze at Winry's question and turned around to look up at her at the stairs.

"W-what?" he blinked rapidly.

"Are you coming? The night's pretty cold so far and I don't want you to catch a cold by sleeping down here," Winry gestured to the living room and the small couch.

Ever since coming here again, Al had slept in Winry's old room while Winry slept in the old room of her deceased parents, since there was no more room for Ed to sleep in he had resided himself to his fate on sleeping on the small, unforgiving couch.

The couch was small and Edward was a big, tall man...he couldn't believe how proud he was at saying those words...damn.

Long story short, Ed tended to roll around in his sleep, the couch didn't do him any favors at all, he would often fall off it and be woken up by the hard, merciless floor or he would hit himself against the small coffee table right next to the couch. He didn't know what had been worse, the feather springs inside the couch which kept digging into his back and side, or the wake-up call in the middle of the night by what he had personally dubbed as "demon's creation".

"C-c-coming w-w-where?" there were only two options, Winry's room or the bathroom and Ed somehow had a hunch it _wasn't_ the bathroom.

"T-to my r-room of course! Geez Ed, stop asking s-such stupid questions!" Winry was suddenly embarrassed, avoiding his gaze shyly.

Ed stood there in the middle of the living room, pillow and blanket tucked under his arms, shell shocked by Winry's offer.

Winry thought he had rejected her judging by his sudden stillness but she was pleasantly surprised when she heard light thuds, probably the blanket and pillow hitting the floor, and spotting Ed a step or two behind her with a warm expression on his face.

"Thanks Winry," his voice was soft as he spoke, quiet so he didn't wake up the others.

"D-don't get used to it alright," Winry, burning blush in place, led the way as Ed followed behind her with a smile.

Now inside Winry's bedroom, both were looking awkwardly at the large king sized bed, standing there like awkward teenagers.

"Uhm...I-I'm gonna go and change," Winry said, disappearing inside the small, built in bathroom.

"A-alright," Ed replied quickly, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly as his mind did a roller coaster ride inside his jumbled head.

What the hell to _do_?! He didn't have any blankets or pillows to make a makeshift bed on the floor! Did she actually want to share the bed with him?!

Ed felt his face burn brightly at the thought and he pinched himself hard to snap out of it, then, he looked down at himself, " _God damn it! What the hell will I wear?! I can't sleep in the same bed with Winry in my boxers! What will she think?!"_

But his PJ's were in Al's room in the closet! He couldn't go there and risk waking up his little brother!

...Wait...maybe he should just throw Al out of the bed and tell him to sleep on the couch? Ed gripped his blond hair, wanting to rip it out in his frustration. He didn't want to make Winry uncomfortable! _Hell_ , he himself feels awkward just standing there!

He heard the door of the bathroom suddenly open and Ed had half a mind to dive into a corner or hide under the bed.

"Ed? I thought you changed?" Winry asked from behind him, Ed made the mistake of turning around. She wore her nightgown.

It wasn't the first time Ed ever saw Winry in a nightgown or rather in her PJ's but for some reason it felt very different now, alone, in her room, the moonlight from outside giving her figure a soft almost ethereal glow.

Ed swallowed hard.

"I...w-well...I uhh...my...my clothes...they...they are in Al's room and I uh...don't want to wake him..." Ed wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole, he was sure he would be called a pervert and kicked out of the room Winry-style; with a wrench.

"O-oh...hold on, maybe I have some of your PJ's here," Winry briskly walked to her closet and searched the shelves, finally fishing out a black shirt and boxers for Ed to wear.

Wordlessly, she handed it to him, "T-thanks," Ed quickly was next to disappear in the bathroom to change.

A few minutes passed and he came out, Winry was already in bed, covered by the blanket, Ed awkwardly, slowly, walked toward the bed. Winry saw how hesitant he was, as if waiting for permission, she nodded and Ed climbed on the other side of the bed, covering himself with the blanket.

Both adults stared at the ceiling, Winry clutching the blanket protectively to her chest while Ed had one arm under his head and the other resting on his stomach, feeling more awkward than they ever did around each-other.

Ed hesitantly looked at Winry but quickly turned his head away and swallowed hard, feeling his throat constrict tighter and tighter.

Winry looked this time at Ed before panic gripped her heart and she quickly looked away, feeling the blush that persistently kept residence over her face.

"H-hey Winry?" Ed felt himself sweating, just _why_ did he have to open his mouth?!

"Y-yeah?" Winry kept her eyes stubbornly fixed on the wall, intent on not looking at the defined muscles lining Ed's arms when he moved them around, or his pronounced collarbone, or the little bit of his trained chest being exposed by his slightly too small shirt-

"A-are you sure this is f-fine? I can go downstairs and sleep on the couch, no problem!" Ed chuckled awkwardly.

"N-no, no, it's ok Edward ,really. I...I trust you," Winry blushed, hesitantly touching Ed's forearm as she offered him a small, shy smile.

When Ed turned around to look at her he was surprised when he could just see how she smiled at him, she trusted him.

Ed blushed and nodded, hesitantly placing his own hand on top of Winry's and squeezing slightly to reassure her.

Winry shivered at the touch but didn't pull away, slowly, she inched slightly closer to him, so close that their arms were touching and Ed had to restrain himself from jumping at the new, unfamiliar contact of her soft, warm skin.

"Hey...can I ask you something?" Ed's voice was shy and quiet when he spoke, so unlike him and that disturbed Winry.

"What is it Ed?" Winry looked at him in the darkness, thankfully the moonlight provided enough light to still see him.

"W-why do you...trust me?" Ed couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"W-what?" blue eyes widened at Ed's odd question.

"W-well...I mean...w-would you trust I don't know...that Robert Windmill guy? Or that red diva...what's his name...Stanley?" Ed suddenly looked displeased, crossing his arms.

He suddenly felt a very painful yet familiar feeling on his head.

It was the wrench.

"WHY THE HELL DO YOU HAVE THAT THING IN YOUR BEDROOM?!" Ed shouted, gripping his head.

"TO PROTECT MYSELF FROM IDIOTS LIKE YOU!" Winry shouted back, holding her wrench in her hand.

"I JUST ASKED YOU A SIMPLE QUESTION! NO NEED TO KILL ME!"

"THAT WASN'T A SIMPLE QUESTION ED!" Winry's voice shook suddenly with emotions and Ed froze as both adults were sitting up now on the bed.

"Y-you implied I would do this with just any guy! You're such an idiot Edward!" Winry blinked back tears, throwing the wrench away into a corner.

With the danger now gone, Ed moved closer to Winry, "W-wait, w-what? I-I didn't meant it like that! I just...w-well I..."

"What Ed?!" Winry glared at him with furious eyes.

"I just don't want any other man seeing you like this but me!" Ed half shouted, his gold eyes widening at his blurted out confession.

Winry froze, gasping.

Ed scratched the back of his head, mumbling under his breath, "I'm going to sleep on the couch," when he was about to stand up and leave the bed, Winry quickly grabbed his forearm.

"W-wait Ed..." Winry suddenly smiled, slowly, "Um...I..I had no idea..."

Ed didn't see her smile so he thought the worst: he had gotten rejected.

"Yeah, well, just forget it-" he was cut off mid sentence by Winry when she suddenly wrapped her arms around him, hiding her flaming face against his collarbone.

"I-I feel the same E-Ed!" Winry confessed hastily, trying to hide herself from his view.

"W-what?!" Ed couldn't believe this, maybe he heard wrong?

"I feel the same..." Winry repeated herself slower this time, "That's why I d-didn't like all these women looking for you...I...well, I just wanted Edward Elric for myself...I didn't want to share him with all the women from the village...or from Central..." Winry pouted.

Ed couldn't help but smile and chuckle happily, wrapping his arms around Winry tightly and falling backward on the bed, laughing.

Winry froze briefly before she blushed darkly and laughed along with Ed, not caring that they were in their PJ's. She felt comfortable again, happy, unbelievably happy.

"Aww my little mechanic's getting soft huh?" he teased her playfully but added in a softer, more serious tone, "You know you were the only girl that had my heart right? And I thought I was dense…why did you think I almost kicked that lame Windmill's ass when he kept making pretty eyes at you? I would have to share Greed's philosophy, I don't like to share what's mine," Ed tightened his hold around her, kissing her head affectionately.

Winry blushed but giggled in delight, feeling spoiled, "Oh really? So I'm yours huh?"

"Uh…w-well I uh…" Ed stuttered, not sure if he said something wrong or not.

Winry laughed happily and kissed him on the lips, much to his surprise and delight.

She broke apart and nuzzled his cheek, "Hm…I have nothing against that, but that means that you're mine and you know how selfish I am Ed," she wrapped her arms around him again, kissing his chest.

Ed chuckled deeply, hugging her close to him and smelling her hair, "Yeah, be as selfish as you want to be,"

 **Bonus Scene:**

Al rolled around on his bed, trying to silence the giggles that kept coming from somewhere close, somewhere around the house. Maybe he was just dreaming after all, who knew.

But they were persistent, his gold eyes opened and he removed the pillow from his face, blinking sleepily and trying to gather his bearings.

"I wonder if brother came back..." Al yawned and slowly crawled out of bed, putting on a robe as he slowly wobbled his way out. The first place he went to check was of course Ed's usual sleeping spot, the couch.

"What...?" Al blinked again, rubbing his eyes tiredly when he thought he was hallucinating because he didn't see his older brother on the couch sleeping. Next he spotted the pillows on the floor and his eyes widened open fully.

"W-wait...Ed isn't at home...there are strange noises coming from Winry's room...Winry!" his eyes widened in horror and he quickly grabbed the pillow and sprinted back upstairs, nearly tripping on the last step too.

He had to save Winry! Maybe there was a robber here and she was in trouble?!

Al shouted what seemed to be a battle cry when he slammed open the door to Winry's room and holding the pillow above his head like a weapon as he froze at the sight before him.

What he saw _wasn't_ a robber...and Ed _was_ home...just not in his usual sleeping spot...

Instead, what he saw would surely scar him for life.

His brother, wide eyed, red faced...

On top of Winry, also wide eyed and red faced...

Both appeared to be either naked or very inappropriately dressed...

On Winry's bed...

"A-Al, uhh...h-hey..." Ed said lamely, appearing to cover Winry with his body so Al didn't see anything he wasn't supposed to see...well at least anymore of it.

"B-brother...y-you're here and W-Winry's ok..."

"Y-yeah, I'm uh...f-fine Al," Winry covered herself with the blanket, grinning nervously.

Al, shell shocked, lowered the pillow, turned around rigidly and exited the room, nearly falling down the flight of stairs before he made it to his room.

Robotically, he slipped back inside his own safe bed and covered himself with the blanket.

"What I saw cannot be unseen, what I saw cannot be unseen, what I saw cannot be unseen..." he repeated that over and over, his eyes wide and shocked.

What he just saw can never be unseen.

Then he heard a pained yelp come from his brother and a furious shout from Winry.

It was the wrench.

 **So..what did you think? Too romantic?**


	28. Falling and Rising

**I'm back!** With a new one shot too! ^_^

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** haha thanks for the idea Lily! I do hope I wrote it well enough ^^ haha Actually (I may have forgotten to mention it) I WILL write ALL of the mentioned ideas (because they keep getting stuck like glue to my mind until I wrote them down anyway) I just requested a vote to see which idea I should write FIRST then the rest follows. :)

 **Bob:** Hey there Bob, uh...well...I posted it (then) like an hour ago or such, maybe even half an hour ago, so not that long. I noticed that (on my mail anyway) your reviews are written half an hour later, meaning if someone literally wrote a review 2 minutes ago, on my e-mail it shows it was posted 32minutes ago, while when I check on it says the correct time (so 2min). I know many before said this but...it's the internet's fault :P lol BTW: Thanks for liking my ideas! :3 haha I'm happy I'm not the only one that likes them :D

 **Jadasimone16:** (grins a dirty smile) Oh you people just keep sending ideas to my head don't ya? ;) hahaha I just had such a cool idea write _another_ Bonus Scene where Greed/Ling walk in on them and not Al...should I update that chapter? Hehe

 **BTW:** This one shot is about the (well certainly one of the) hottest males in FMA(B) ever...he's foul mouthed, a Homunculus, strong, cunning, oh and did I mention greedy? ;)

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Falling and Rising**

"What are you doing? Don't be stupid! Stay out of this damn it!" Greed shouted, gritting his teeth tightly together in anger and the strain of having the bastard hanging on his hand.

Lan Fan was the only thing keeping him from falling to his certain doom along with bastard Wrath, but the problem was, her automail.

"But I must, it's my sworn vow, to make sure you're safe!" Lan Fan argued back, emotions heavy in her voice as feelings overcame her for her prince, the sudden death of her dear grandfather and worry for the Homunculus.

Greed couldn't believe this woman, here he was hanging off a damn wall, his pesky 'brother' hanging off his hand who tried to kill him a minute ago, and here she was, holding him up with her automail arm, which hasn't had any time to heal.

If he didn't die first he was sure going to have a long talk with the prince and an even longer talk with Lan Fan, maybe even ground her for bringing herself in danger like this.

Greed's eyes widened when he saw thick red liquid, Lan Fan's blood, seep out of the plates of her automail arm, a few droplets falling onto his cheek, his eyes briefly followed the movement before they shot up towards Lan Fan's pained expression of agony, "You know your automail can't support this weight for very long, now let go and take care of the old man!"

If he himself didn't have many chances of surviving this shit, then at least old man Fu should have, he had grown on Greed in the past few months since he's known him, had become a mentor and companion to him, maybe even something of a grandfather figure, or a father he wished he had. Either way, Greed cared for him, though he wouldn't be caught dead admitting that.

Lan Fan's next words made the wildly pumping blood in Greed's veins freeze ice cold,"No...it's too late for him," his eyes widened.

No...it couldn't be...he was...?

Greed snapped out of his shock when he felt Wrath tugging on his arm, Lan Fan seemed to notice it too since she turned her head to shout at the two armed men behind her, "Briggs men! Help me!"

One of them ran towards her immediately, while the other stayed at Fu's side.

He took aim at Wrath's head, being careful not to accidentally hit Greed instead. However, it seemed like Wrath wouldn't go down so easily. Heh, Greed never doubted it. The bastard was stubborn.

Wrath had used the only sword he had now in his hand to hurl straight in the Brigg's man shoulder, briefly paralyzing his shoulder, however the man managed to pull the trigger before his whole arm shook in spasms, he managed to land a clumsy aim at Wrath's shoulder.

Lan Fan's eyes widened as Greed grew heavier, "N-no..." she strained to lift Greed up.

Greed quickly analyzed the situation, he knew he couldn't escape now. Wrath had a firm, unrelenting grip on him, he knew he would only let go if his whole arm would be cut off, he also knew that Lan Fan's automail was doing her no favor right now.

Greed closed his eyes and released his hold on Lan Fan's hand, "No! Homunculus, my Lord! Please hold on!" Lan Fan shouted desperately, trying to hold onto him by tightening her grip, but she cried out in pain as the bolts and screws of her automail mercilessly tore and pulled at her tender flesh, the flesh not fully healed around the arm, which was still a bright pink under her clothes and armor.

She couldn't let this happen...her grandfather and now her Lord and Greed? No!

"Lan Fan...let me go, it's no use honey," Greed smiled sadly, feeling Lan Fan's grip slip ever so slightly.

"N-no! I will not I promise!" she was stubborn, Greed had to give her that but now was _not_ the time to be stubborn _at all_.

"Please, let go, I'll be fine," he tried to convince her, _tried_. Though he wasn't sure of it himself.

"Promise!" violet eyes widened in shock, "Promise me Greed! Promise that you will return safely after I let you go!" more tears gathered in Lan Fan's eyes the more her grip slipped, Greed's breath briefly caught in his throat at the strong emotions she displayed so openly.

Humans never ceased to amaze him, be it in a good or bad way, they were stubborn, they were foolish for fighting for what they believed in and protecting their loved ones, hoping for a better future.

Greed was willing to be foolish, the first and last time.

"I promise," he never lied, he sincerely hoped this wouldn't be his first and last lie. He really did. He hated to break a promise, what he hated even more were crying women, especially Lan Fan. Always Lan Fan.

Before Lan Fan could attempt to tighten her grip, it already fell slack.

Greed felt weightless for a moment, until gravity caught up to him and he was falling together with Wrath, whom he kicked away from himself.

The last thing Greed saw before falling into the waters of death was Lan Fan's saddened face, her desperate cries of his name the last thing he heard clearly as he was enveloped by the water's cold, merciless embrace, his body swallowed whole.

He was drowning, sinking, falling, dying.

Then he saw it.

Memories.

Pictures.

People.

It were the Elric brothers, then came Mustang and his unit, next came his old squad Bio, Martel and everyone else, then came old man Fu, Ling and then Lan Fan...

She was crying.

He _hated_ to see her crying!

Greed's eyes flew open, water filling his mouth as he quickly shut it closed and spotted Wrath swimming toward a hole in the wall, what Greed assumed were sewers.

Now Greed wasn't a fool, he tried not to be most of the time at least.

If he followed Wrath, there would be a battle and Greed couldn't afford to fight him like this, while Wrath was weakened, he was still lethally dangerous and Greed couldn't afford to take any chances, not with his promise ringing in his ears.

When Greed resurfaced and took in large gulps of air, Lan Fan was gone.

He growled and looked around, searching for a way to escape the water and have solid ground under his feet again.

There!

Greed grinned, swimming toward another entrance inside the wall, opposite of where Wrath had disappeared to.

* * *

Lan Fan sobbed quietly next to her grandfather's corpse, slowly taking off her mask, tear drops landing on top of its splintered, wooden surface.

She had faith and great sadness in her heart, a heart she had long since thought to be dead.

She had faith Greed would return safely, safely with Ling and not break her heart by dying on her.

He said he never lied, that meant she had to hold onto his word. He would make it. She pressed a hand, her human hand, to her face, trying to stop the continues onslaught of salty tears, but they slipped effortlessly between her fingers, sliding down her knuckles, wrist and arm, getting soaked from the material of her ninja garb.

She knew there was nothing she could do to save her grandfather now but she wouldn't be able to survive losing her Lord and...and the Homunculus now as well.

She had called him by name, in her immense worry and desperation at seeing him fall inside the water, she had called his name in a scream.

"Y-You're..."one of the Brigg's men stuttered, looking utterly shocked and as pale as a ghost.

Lan Fan quickly turned around, thinking it was a enemy, but instead she felt all the air leave her battered body as she gazed upon the person she thought to have died.

"Tch, what? Written me off as dead already? I bet you organized me a nice coffin too, gee so very nice of you," Greed was soaked through and looked worse for wear, but he was alive.

Lan Fan was sure only minutes passed, but judging by the different positioning of the men around her, a healthy amount of time already passed.

Greed's eyes widened in surprise when Lan Fan stood up and hugged him with lighting speed, though in the next moment she punched him with her human hand in the chest, "You...you kept your promise,"

Greed grinned, briefly stroking her head with his hand, feeling more at ease to know she seemed well enough to punch so hard, "Course I did, what? Would you call this handsome face a liar?" he gestured to his face, giving her a reassuring nod and smile.

" _Actually that's my handsome face you're talking about Greed,"_ Ling frowned inside their mind, 'tsking' at Greed's boasting.

" _Yeah, well, it's the same face, now shut up, you almost ruined the moment,"_

"Greed..." Lan Fan whispered, her fists tightening.

He frowned, looking at Fu's motionless form with sorrow, "I know," he leaned his forehead on her own, he allowed the comforting contact for only a moment though before he covered his arms in his ultimate shield, letting Ling and him share a body at the same time.

"I know Lan Fan," Ling's voice sounded now, his neck, arms and entire body except for his face was covered in Greed's ultimate shield.

"Just wait a little longer and I'll make sure this nightmare will end," he was walking toward the only way out, the place where their men were trying to fend off the soldiers.

"I promise,"

 **Eheh...well it's done for now! How was it? Should I change something? Was it what you expected Penguin19? ^^"**


	29. Falling and Rising Together

Hey everyone! Today I'm in SUCH a good mood! :3 I kept dancing and listening to "Friday Night" by The Shires. *.* Thankfully I was dancing alone lol, my dog giving me weird looks was enough for me (sweat drop) Meh, I bet you love having a crazy author such as me, admit it :3 hahah Kidding ;)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Cassey:** haha Thanks! I will be sure to write them more often!

 **Anonymous J:** haha Thanks! :D I really like Greed (I think it's obvious) hehe

 **Panic:** Thanks for the tips! ;) I hope you like the altered version!

Here is the **altered version** of the previous chapter " **Rising and Falling** ", I added a little twist and Ling's input as well!

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Rising and Falling Together**

"What are you doing? Don't be stupid! Stay out of this damn it!" Greed shouted, gritting his teeth tightly together in anger and the strain of having the bastard hanging on his hand.

Lan Fan was the only thing keeping him from falling to his certain doom along with bastard Wrath, but the problem was, her automail.

"But I must, it's my sworn vow, to make sure you're safe!" Lan Fan argued back, emotions heavy in her voice as feelings overcame her for her prince, the sudden death of her dear grandfather and worry for the Homunculus.

Greed couldn't believe this woman, here he was hanging off a damn wall, his pesky 'brother' hanging off his hand who tried to kill him a minute ago, and here she was, holding him up with her automail arm, which hasn't had any time to heal.

If he didn't die first he was sure going to have a long talk with the prince and an even longer talk with Lan Fan, maybe even ground her for bringing herself in danger like this.

Greed's eyes widened when he saw thick red liquid, Lan Fan's blood, seep out of the plates of her automail arm, a few droplets falling onto his cheek, his eyes briefly followed the movement before they shot up towards Lan Fan's pained expression of agony, "You know your automail can't support this weight for very long, now let go and take care of the old man!"

" _Greed! We have to wrap this up! Try to shake off Bradley or something! Lan Fan is bleeding, we can't put her in so much pain, she hasn't healed yet!"_ Ling was panicking internally, it broke his heart to see his dearest and longest friend suffer so much because of him.

" _Stop panicking like a little girl! I'm trying to think without you screaming in my head!"_ Greed barked back, feeling more and more pressured with Ling panicking and Lan Fan bleeding.

If he himself didn't have many chances of surviving this shit, then at least old man Fu should have, he had grown on Greed in the past few months since he's known him, had become a mentor and companion to him, maybe even something of a grandfather figure, or a father he wished he had. Either way, Greed cared for him, though he wouldn't be caught dead admitting that.

Lan Fan's next words made the wildly pumping blood in Greed's veins freeze ice cold, "No...it's too late for him," his eyes widened.

No...it couldn't be...he was...?

 _"_ _Fu...n-no...NO! It couldn't be! Greed, it couldn't be, Fu can't be...he...c-can't,"_ Greed stiffened even more, feeling Ling fall into shock at the revelation as he suddenly fell quiet. In his own shock, Greed thought he heard Ling sobbing, maybe he was, he couldn't tell as he was too wound up.

Greed snapped out of his shock when he felt Wrath tugging on his arm, Lan Fan seemed to notice it too since she turned her head to shout at the two armed men behind her, "Briggs men! Help me!"

One of them ran towards her immediately, while the other stayed at Fu's side.

He took aim at Wrath's head, being careful not to accidentally hit Greed instead. However, it seemed like Wrath wouldn't go down so easily. Heh, Greed never doubted it. The bastard was stubborn.

Wrath had used the only sword he had now in his hand to hurl straight in the Brigg's man shoulder, briefly paralyzing his shoulder, however the man managed to pull the trigger before his whole arm shook in spasms, he managed to land a clumsy aim at Wrath's shoulder.

Lan Fan's eyes widened as Greed grew heavier, "N-no..." she strained to lift Greed up.

Greed quickly analyzed the situation, he knew he couldn't escape now. Wrath had a firm, unrelenting grip on him, he knew he would only let go if his whole arm would be cut off, he also knew that Lan Fan's automail was doing her no favor right now.

" _Greed, what are you thinking?!"_ Ling tried to talk to him, but the Homunculus ignored him.

Greed closed his eyes and released his hold on Lan Fan's hand, "No! Homunculus, my Lord! Please hold on!" Lan Fan shouted desperately, trying to hold onto him by tightening her grip, but she cried out in pain as the bolts and screws of her automail mercilessly tore and pulled at her tender flesh, the flesh not fully healed around the arm, which was still a bright pink under her clothes and armor.

She couldn't let this happen...her grandfather and now her Lord and Greed? No!

"Lan Fan...let me go, it's no use honey," Greed smiled sadly, feeling Lan Fan's grip slip ever so slightly.

"N-no! I will not I promise!" she was stubborn, Greed had to give her that but now was _not_ the time to be stubborn _at all_.

"Please, let go, I'll be fine," he tried to convince her, _tried_. Though he wasn't sure of it himself.

Ling took control over him for a brief moment and looked Lan Fan in the eyes meaningfully, "Lan Fan...please, listen to him, we will be fine, we are going all home together, please," Ling smiled up at her, trying to reassure her but she was stubborn, he knew that well.

"Promise!" violet eyes widened in shock, "Promise me Greed, my Lord! Promise that you will return safely after I let you go!" more tears gathered in Lan Fan's eyes the more her grip slipped, Greed and Ling's breath briefly caught in his throat at the strong emotions she displayed so openly.

Ling had spent nearly his whole childhood with her, knew her in and out, but it had been a long time ever since she really opened up to him, opened her heart to him. Ling smiled softly, feeling like he was wearing his own heart on his sleeve.

Greed meanwhile fell silent, not believing how emotional Lan Fan was right now, usually she was cold and distant toward him. He understood her, he was a Homunculus in the body of the guy she was supposed to protect, not an easy task certainly.

Humans never ceased to amaze him, be it in a good or bad way, they were stubborn, they were foolish for fighting for what they believed in and protecting their loved ones, hoping for a better future.

Greed made a decision, was willing to be foolish, the first and last time.

"I promise," ignoring the vehement protests of Ling, Greed never lied, he sincerely hoped this wouldn't be his first and last lie. He really did. He hated to break a promise, what he hated even more were crying women, especially Lan Fan. Always Lan Fan.

Before Lan Fan could attempt to tighten her grip, it already fell slack.

Greed felt weightless for a moment, until gravity caught up to him and he was falling together with Wrath, whom he kicked away from himself.

 _"_ _GREED!"_ Ling shouted in their mind, panicking and trying to take control of his body again, but he was stubborn.

" _Drop it or I'll kick your ass."_ Greed barked venomously.

" _Shut up! You will-"_

Greed interrupted him sharply, " _No you will die if you seize control! Ultimate Shield remember? I trust Wrath to be able to fight underwater like a bull shark if he sets his mind to it, it doesn't matter if he's injured, that guy has more stamina than the Elric kid,"_

The last thing Greed saw before falling into the waters of death was Lan Fan's saddened face, her desperate cries of his name the last thing he heard clearly as he was enveloped by the water's cold, merciless embrace, his body swallowed whole.

He was drowning, sinking, falling, dying.

Then he saw it.

Memories.

Pictures.

 _People._

It were the Elric brothers, then came Mustang and his unit, next came his old squad Bio, Martel and everyone else, then came old man Fu, Ling and then Lan Fan...

She was crying.

And his world was turning dark.

Ling's eyes flew open, water filling his mouth as he quickly shut it closed and spotted Bradley swimming toward a hole in the wall, what he assumed were sewers.

" _Greed! Greed! Wake up you stupid moron!"_ Ling frantically shouted, but it was no use, he was unconscious.

Ling took large gulps of air, his lungs burning.

Ling narrowed his eyes, Lan Fan was gone and so was Bradley. He wasn't an idiot, he knew better than to willingly follow Bradley, or rather the Homunculus Wrath, and engage him in combat especially since both him and Greed were injured and shaken.

Fu...

Ling shut his eyes tightly closed, blaming the water around him for the moisture in his eyes. His fists shook in anger, he knew Fu would shake his head in disapproval if Ling decided to avenge his death but it was hard to resist the temptation, especially since his enemy was literally a few feet away and injured on top of that.

He growled and looked around, searching for a way to escape the water and have solid ground under his feet again.

There!

Ling smirked, swimming rapidly toward another entrance inside the wall, opposite of where Wrath had disappeared to.

Lan Fan sobbed quietly next to her grandfather's corpse, slowly taking off her mask, tear drops landing on top of its splintered, wooden surface.

She had faith and great sadness in her heart, a heart she had long since thought to be dead.

She had faith her Lord and Greed would return safely and not break her heart by dying on her.

Greed said he never lied, that meant she had to hold onto his word. He would make it. She pressed a hand, her human hand, to her face, trying to stop the continues onslaught of salty tears, but they slipped effortlessly between her fingers, sliding down her knuckles, wrist and arm, getting soaked from the material of her ninja garb.

She knew there was nothing she could do to save her grandfather now but she wouldn't be able to survive losing her Lord and...and the Homunculus now as well.

She had called him by name, in her immense worry and desperation at seeing him fall inside the water, she had called his name in a scream.

"Y-You're..."one of the Brigg's men stuttered, looking utterly shocked and as pale as a ghost.

Lan Fan quickly turned around, thinking it was a enemy, but instead she felt all the air leave her battered body as she gazed upon the person she thought to have died.

"There's no time to explain, everyone who is able to fight, cover me with your weapons, the rest seeks shelter elsewhere and stays out of danger," Ling, her Lord, was soaked through and looked worse for wear, but he was alive.

Lan Fan was sure only minutes passed, but judging by the different positioning of the men around her, a healthy amount of time already passed.

Ling's eyes widened in surprise when Lan Fan stood up and hugged him with lighting speed, burying her face in his chest, but in the next moment she reluctantly parted from him, reminded by her position and place, "My...my Lord...you...you kept your promise,"

Ling smiled warmly, allowing himself to stroke her head with his hand, feeling more at ease to know she seemed well enough to not break down in front of him, " Yeah, of course I did. Though I'm sure Greed did too, he passed out when he fell into the water, so I had to take over, he's unconscious now but-" he was suddenly cut off.

" _Oi! Who are you calling unconscious kid? I'm as tough as nails, it takes more to kill me than throw me in a kid's pool ya know? Anyway, where's Wrath? What happened?"_ Greed was back it seemed, content to stay inside Ling's head for the moment.

" _Greed! You're alright, I'm glad. Wrath escaped, it would have been suicide if we had followed him and engaged him in combat even a idiot like me knows that."_ Ling replied through their mind link, sighing in relief.

"He's alright now and he seems to be itching for a fight," Ling smiled reassuringly at Lan Fan.

He frowned, looking at Fu's motionless form with sorrow, "Don't worry Lan Fan, we will take care of them," he briefly sent decorum and traditions to hell and leaned his forehead on her own, he allowed the comforting and at the same time intimate contact for only a moment before he pulled away.

With a near to demonic expression, Ling commanded sharply, "Greed, lend me your power," Greed sensed Ling's intentions and was more than willing to give him his power to kick some ass.

Ling's arms were covered in Greed's ultimate shield, letting Ling and him share a body at the same time.

"We will be back safe and sound alright? You stay here and protect the Fort," Ling's voice sounded calm yet firm, his neck, arms and entire body except for his face was covered in Greed's ultimate shield.

"Just wait a little longer and I'll make sure this nightmare will end," he was walking toward the only way out, the place where their men were trying to fend off the soldiers.

"I promise," the words of her Lord were still ringing in Lan Fan's ears, even after her Lord and Greed had left.

She looked at her deceased grandfather and held a hand to her heart, forming it into a tight fist, with her teeth clenched tight, a new, ferocious fire burned bright in her eyes, strengthening her will to stand and fight again.

She still had a duty to fulfill and her Lord's orders to follow, she didn't intend to break her vow as well.

Lan Fan was ready to fight.

 **The end of the altered version! I hope everyone enjoyed it thanks for reading!**


	30. What Does the Doc Say

Hi guys! Here's another little one shot o' mine!

Hehe...I do hope I'm not too annoying with my ideas, I read/heard that when authors post too much/too often then the readers could easily get bored/annoyed, just tell me when I'm being too annoying alright? (sweat drop)

Enjoy reading!

* * *

 **What does the Doc Say**

"Let's see, it all started with a wrench..."

The woman rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and legs as a displeased, irritated frown settled on her face, her blue eyes glaring at her husband, then at the doctor.

"Oh shut up, as if you're the perfect guy," she snapped at her husband.

He whirled his head around to glare at her, his eye twitching as his teeth grinded against one another tightly.

The doctor rubbed his forehead, looking at his notes, "And...your wife is being accused of being...aggressive?" the doctor rose his eyebrows, biting his lip as he feared he may have hit a nerve with that powerhouse duo.

The husband crossed his arms, his eyes closed and a large frown on his face, "Heh, that's the understatement of the _year_!"

The woman gasped loudly in surprise, " _Edward!_ "

He opened an eye and gave her a dirty look, "What?" he turned to the perplexed doctor, "Did you _see_ what that woman looks like when she holds that wrench spawned from hell?! She looks like a demon, a demon I tell you! And she-ow! Winry!" Ed rubbed his head, glaring at her crossly for hitting him again.

"Did you see that? Now _that's_ dangerous," Ed leaned back, crossing his arms. Winry sighed, looking away.

The therapist cleared his throat, "Mr. and Mrs. Elric, could it be that you have difficulties communicating with each-other and paying attention to the other's needs?" he was careful with his words, as these two were potential ticking time bombs and could explode any second.

Ed thought about it for a second, rubbing his chin. Winry adopted a thoughtful look as well, both uttered the same words at the same time, "Nah,"

The doctor sighed, rubbing his head in exasperation, "Alright, could it be that there may be something missing in your marriage that is the reason for your...displeasure?"

Ed's eyes widened, " _Excuse me?_ We are happily married you jerk! I have no communication problems with my wife! And I _do_ pay attention to her needs! Who fixes the roof every time a plank moves? _Edward._ Who has to go grocery shopping and has to drag a certain _someone_ back home after she's done fawning over automail? _Edward_." He snorted, leaning back in the chair.

Winry growled in warning, "Maybe the dear doctor didn't mean _those_ needs Edward," her eye twitched.

Ed's eyes widened to the size of saucers, his face turning a interesting hot pink, " _WHAT?!_ Are you _insane_ Win!? Do you _know_ many scratches and _marks_ I have all over my back and chest?! And yes _you_ caused them missy! I don't think someone who's bad in bed would get hickeys do you?" he stuck his tongue out at her, "Besides, the neighbors constantly complain about noise, not to mention poor Al, I think the guy's had enough nightmare material to last him a life time!"

The doctor tried to diffuse the situation before anything more could happen, "Um, excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Elric, you would have to go to another therapist for these reasons, I cannot help you with-"

Winry cut him off, " T-that's not what I meant...i-idiot...I never complained about our love life now did I?" she pouted like a child, blushing deeper, "I just...well...you just don't buy me any earrings anymore..." she lightly fingered her ear, which was full of earrings that Edward had gifted her before every time he returned home after his and Al's journeys.

Ed was shocked and his eye twitched, "You mean...you dragged me here...because I don't buy you anymore e _arrings_? Winry, I didn't go anywhere! You have enough on your ears already! Give them a break once in a while!"

Ed's expression softened though and he sighed heavily, leaning over his and Winry's armrests, to hug his wife and kiss her affectionately on the forehead.

Winry smiled, nuzzling Ed's face as she giggled and Ed chuckled.

"Mr. and Mrs. Elric, why don't you tell me about how your past days looked like, what did you do in the time before you got married?"

Ed and Winry broke apart and looked at each-other, "Hmm...let's see, well ever since Ed had gained his real arm back he went on a journey to the West to learn more about Alchemy. You see, him and his brother Alphonse are amazing alchemists and they worked to achieve greater things with alchemy and help people with it to prevent things like the Ishval War of occurring again," Winry smiled proudly at the achievements of her husband.

Ed blinked at her, surprised how proud she looked of his accomplishments, "Winry..." he smiled warmly.

"Well, my awesome wife here has her own mechanic shop did you know that? People from all over the world come to her! She's the best mechanic I know, she gave me limbs when I didn't have any and she supported me along with Granny through everything." Winry smiled at her husband, rubbing the knuckles on his hand and squeezing when he smiled at her.

The therapist smiled and scribbled down some notes, "I see, tell me, when had been the first time you both have experienced your mutual attraction for each-other?"

Both individuals suddenly grew shy and avoided each-others gaze, Winry fumbling with her hair and Edward scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Uhm...well...c-can I go first?" Ed mumbled quietly, rubbing his neck and pointedly not looking at his bewildered, embarrassed wife.

"Of course, Mr. Elric, please," the therapist smiled, eager to write more down about one of the most famous couples he had.

"Right...um...well...It's been a few years back, back then I had to hide from the Homunculi and I was searching for Al, my brother, I thought he went to the Rockbells, to my wife and her grandmother, for refugee. But I didn't find him there," Winry's blue eyes widened at realizing just what event he was replaying in his head.

She blushed and partially covered her face in embarrassment.

"...I was hungry so I made myself a sandwich..." Ed swallowed.

* * *

 _A few years earlier..._

 _Edward Elric couldn't stand the constant sounds of bulky tools made of metal being moved here and there, couldn't stand the endless bickering between Greed, Ling and the chimeras._

 _They had been doing nothing but fighting, they just escaped Pride too, he had no idea where the hell the old man was but he snorted at the thought and banned it to the back of his mind._

 _Ed sighed, fixing himself a sandwich in the kitchen he was so familiar with, he passed by Winry's workroom, stopping for a split second to narrow his eyes at the two chimeras who kept sniffing and touching Winry's things._

 _"_ _Oi! I told you not to touch anything did I?!" he barked at them sharply and Heinkel and Darius nearly jumped at the sudden sharp commanding tone that Edward had adopted, Ed didn't bother to stick around and see their irritated expressions._

 _He ascended the stairs, sandwich in hand as he randomly took Winry's room, any room was fine, as long as he had peace._

 _Ed shut the door behind himself, sighing heavily in relief when he spotted a chair and a desk and immediately slumped on the chair, craning his neck and groaning in pain._

 _The smell of Winry suddenly assaulted his senses and his eyes widened, looking around the room, he mentally berated himself since this_ _ **was**_ _her room after all, of course everything would smell of her._

 _Ed was about to take a bite, until a image of Winry appeared in his mind. He frowned, not sure why he suddenly thought of her but shrugged, blaming it on his surroundings and her smell._

 _He shrugged it off, taking a few healthy bites of his sandwich, in peace._

 _Then the door opened._

 _It was Winry._

 _Oh god damn it all to hell it was Winry._

 _Ed swallowed down the large bite he took, feeling himself sweat profusely. He didn't make a sound, he wasn't even sure if he was breathing._

 _It seemed like Winry didn't notice him at all. Ed's eyes widened when he saw Winry sigh heavily as she took out fresh pants and a button up shirt from her closet._

 _He was frozen stiff, sandwich in hand, as he watched Winry unbutton her shirt, she was wearing a under shirt, a black one, his mouth went dry as sand when he saw her lift it up..._

 _To lift it over her head..._

 _Then she stopped..._

 _And she turned around and spotted him..._

 _He was a dead man._

* * *

"Ah, I see...and you said you were there solely to...enjoy your sandwich?" the therapist rose an eyebrow skeptically, scribbling something down.

"That's the truth! I wanted nothing but peace!" Ed crossed his arms and Winry shook her head, sighing.

The therapist looked utterly exhausted, "Well then, Mr. and Mrs. Elric, it's been a pleasure to have you, let's say next week on Thursday? I have a important client right now,"

"But-" Ed started to protest as did Winry, but the therapist shooed them out.

As Winry and Edward exited the room, they suddenly spotted Lan Fan and Greed/Ling sitting on the couch, Greed had his legs propped up on the table, reading a magazine while Lan Fan smiled and waved at them.

"Wait...why are they here?" Winry whispered to Ed quietly.

"Beats me," was his simple reply.

Before the exited the building however, they could hear Ling's outraged voice shake the building:" I'M NOT A LUNATIC, THERE IS A GUY CALLED GREED IN MY HEAD! I'M SERIOUS STOP WRITING THAT DOWN! GREED!"

Another deeper voice started shouting:" YOU STUPID PISS-ANT CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUTME! LET ME AT HIM!"

A few weeks passed when Mei had visited them and told them that Greed/Ling were sent to a mental institution for the time being, Lan Fan had tried to defend her Lord, but to no avail.

His diagnose?

Dual personality disorder.

Ed snickered.

 **Done! Hehe I'll update all the other requests later promise! Thanks for reading! Sorry, the ending's a bit rushed.** BTW: What would you guys say if I wrote a little kingdom AU? You know with kings, queens, kingdoms...etc.?


	31. Endings aren't Always Endings

Hi guys, thanks for reading and commenting my one shots! :D I could just cuddle you all ^^

 **INFO ON THIS ONE SHOT:** Alright, I'm not sure if any of you know or ever heard of a old movie called " _The Labyrinth"_ starring David Bowie (may he rest in peace) in one of the lead roles as "The Goblin King", I just got really inspired by the movie to write this little one shot and you can picture ANY characters (couples) here, I won't write ANY names, the guessing goes to you! ;) I used the famous lines of the Goblin King here, " _Love me, fear me, do as I say and I shall be your slave,"_

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the FMA/FMAB anime/manga/related works I also DON'T own "The Labyrinth" or any of its characters!**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** Haha, for some reason, I get the feeling like you're always (or most of the time) the first one to review my fics, could that be true? Haha ;) Ah yes! Don't worry, coming right up! :D I'm just gonna warn you and the rest, I think I'm not too good with writing wedding scenes . hehe… Nah, of course you aren't annoying! :)

 **Bob:** (grins) Thanks Bob! ^^ Meh, I don't know, I just read somewhere that by waiting for longer periods of time before posting another chapter builds up anticipation in the readers and then more people will read your story :P haha Thank you, I try ^_^

 **Penguin19:** Greed? Oh! Sorry, I guess it was a little confusing, the doctor was writing something down and since Ling was hesitant to beat him up (you know, Lord of Xing and all :P) he called Greed (that's why he screamed his name) because he knew Greed didn't have those reservations lol :D haha

 **Jadasimone16:** (grins) Heh, yeah, I just randomly thought of the weird but amusing song "What does the fox say" and then I started laughing like some mentally retarded person because…yeah…I'm just crazy lol ^^

 **Anonymous J:** (reads review, starts blushing in embarrassment and awe) T_T (starts crying like a baby) (wipes tear away) Ohhh! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU SO DAMN MUCH! (jumps on you and hugs you) Sorry, sorry, I'm a random person who likes to hug people when I'm overwhelmed with feelings! *.* Seriously, thanks a lot J (can I call you "J"? eheh..or A.J….lol). I never had much confidence in my skills as a writer, but you guys make me believe I actually may have a chance, so thanks :)

 **Ao tori:** Hey there! More Ling/Lan Fan huh? Sure thing! Sorry I kept avoiding them, I'm not sure if I can write Ling as good as Greed, but I hope it will be good :3

 **Panic:** Oi! Don't you dare refrain from posting new ideas you hear me? Remember, an author's story wouldn't even be alive without its readers. Sure, an author writes stories for themselves but at one point or another, authors just need that reassurance that they aren't doing a horrible job at writing and knowing that their stories are also being read and appreciated (well aside from themselves ofc ;) ). Haha no problem, Skillet and some other bands (Nickelback, Marianas Trench, Chris Daughtry…etc.) have helped me in my times of need too and I'm happy their amazing songs help you too! Nah, please, you don't owe me anything! If anyone (no matter who) needs help, I'm willing to lend an open ear :)

(Clears throat) Alright….b-before I get overwhelmed w-with feelings and the urge to cuddle and hug you all….on with the story… curtains up! (disappears dramatically in a puff of smoke)

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Endings aren't Always Endings**

Once upon a time, there lived a king in his great kingdom. He was obeyed by many, feared by all and loved by none. He was a cruel ruler, a truly merciless king.

Until he met the one and only being that had warmed and softened his cold, dead heart and brought light into the darkness: the Queen.

Aye, the queen, then part of the rival kingdom led by her father, had a ferocious heart and a strong will that rivaled even the king's himself. The father of the Queen had refused to allow his daughter's hand in marriage toward his bitter enemy and so war broke out.

It had been a long and strenuous battle they've fought, many lives were lost, both kingdom's had suffered greatly. The ruler of the rivaling kingdom, having grown old and weary, had allowed his daughter to rule in his stead as his only heir.

Alas, the war continued. Many years passed until the King and Queen had met one night on a new moon, where the dark sky was void of its ever present companion: the moon. And so, they allowed their hearts to speak what their swords could not.

For they believed that meeting each new moon, where the darkness was so powerful that it swallowed the all seeing orb, had shielded them of prying eyes and ears, where no one could place judgment upon them.

However, they had not known that this secret pleasure of theirs has sent their kingdoms into peril.

"And what happened then daddy?" innocent eyes stared up at her father as the little girl made herself comfortable in her father's protective arms.

The man smiled, placing a finger to his lips, "Shh, perk your ears and listen little one," he shushed his daughter quietly, continuing the age old tale.

The King had arranged for the Queen to accept his proposal for her hand in marriage, however the Queen had declined his proposal, to the surprise of many.

"Oh no! But why daddy? Didn't she love him?" the girl was anxious, biting the soft material of her blanket her father had wrapped around her to keep her warm from the chills of winter outside their door.

The father smiled, "Patience little one, now where was I?" he pretended he had forgotten the part he was retelling.

His daughter was all too eager to help, "You said the queen didn't want to marry him daddy!" she bounced excitedly.

The man chuckled at his excited daughter," Ah yes, yes,"

It had come as a shock, especially to the King. He had uttered words of love and affection, but the feisty thing had misunderstood them, " _Love me, fear me, do as I say and I shall be your slave,"_ were the King's words.

" _I love you but I do not fear you. I shall not bow to your power for you are my equal, you shall not be my slave but my husband and rule alongside me,"_ she had graced him with a beautiful smile and the King felt the iron shackles his heart had been incased in break, freeing him from his restraints.

At the ceremony symbolizing their union as King and Queen, the two kingdoms have united and peace had settled over the vast land that was their kingdom.

"Daddy?" asked the little girl.

"Yes my dear?" he smiled down at her.

"What happened to the King and Queen?" she blinked innocently, cuddling closer to her father with a yawn.

His expression softened, "That is a story for another time..." he relished the feeling of his precious little girl in his arms as he kissed the crown of her head, "Now off to bed with you or your mother will have my head," he chuckled, lightly shaking his daughter awake.

The girl giggled, kissing her father's cheek before she ran out of the bedroom of her parents and into her own room. His keen hearing picked up how she conversed with her mother affectionately before her mother kissed her and ushered her to bed.

"I hear the King and Queen have united their kingdoms," he smirked as his wife wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, resting her chin on top of his head.

"Why yes they did," he replied simply, enjoying the soft embers of the fireplace warming them both.

"And then?" a ghost of a smile had graced her lips, the Queen's lips.

"They lived happily ever after," he teased, gently guiding his giggling wife to his lap in a intimate embrace.

"Oh really? I didn't know you had a soft spot for romance clichés," she teased back, nuzzling her nose against his own in a sweet gesture.

"My dearest, there are a lot of things you need to learn about me," he smirked, lightly kissing her jaw and the back of her hand.

"Is that so?" she giggled and he smiled.

"Mhm..." they nuzzled each-other before the Queen spoke again, "You were under my control all along?" she rose an eyebrow playfully, her eyes shining in amusement.

"Love me, fear me, do as I say-" she quoted the lines from so long ago.

He finished them, "And I shall be your slave," the Queen tenderly stroked his high cheeks bones with a loving smile.

He nearly purred at her attention, "And we shall rule together," they smiled at each-other, chuckling.

"Do you not think we should sleep as well my Queen?" he had already picked her up in his strong arms, carrying her towards their shared bedroom.

"I think that is a wonderful idea my King," she kissed him lovingly as he settled in the covers beside her, pulling her against him to wrap his arms protectively around her.

"Sweet dreams precious," he whispered in her ear with a kiss.

"Sweet dreams dearest," she whispered against his chest, kissing his left pectoral, closest to his heart.

And sleep they did, as did the rest of their kingdom, falling into a soundless slumber until the first rays of dawn bathed the land in its light once again.

* * *

It wasn't a happily ever after, it wasn't a bad ending either.

Stories untold, tales unheard of, where legends travel from traveler to traveler to be held in scripts made of paper and sand.

Perhaps there never existed a kingdom, perhaps there never have been Kings and Queens and fairy tales and knights in shining armor.

Perhaps the Elixir of Life, the Philosopher's Stone had been a myth as well? Maybe there truly wasn't a painless lesson, for every give there was a take.

For every crime there was justice.

An eye for an eye, a life for a life, a soul for a soul.

But what exactly _is_ the price for a human soul? Was there truly a price? Every human life is precious and short, every human should cherish what they have and strive to better themselves and learn from their past mistakes. Every person is unique in their own way, valuable in their own way...

To all the rulers out there who think it was alright to kill and slaughter and end a human life...

What do you know of its value?

Truth smiled and laughed.

Humans contradicted themselves, they say human life is precious yet time and time again, they end another human life. For what? Who are they to call judgment upon them? Who was _he_ to take their souls away from the mortal realm?

Truth shook his head, laughing.

To teach foolish humans the lessons they needed to learn, the lessons they failed to learn until now Truth had developed an idea.

Equivalent Exchange.

 _Humankind cannot gain something without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. This is Alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange._

 _In those days, we really believed that to be the worlds one, and only, truth._

 **Well...this is it...so...why do you guys think so far? Good? Bad? "Meh"?**


	32. Jealousy Doesn't Suit You

**QUESTION:** Should I write more/similar Kingdom AU's like the one before or not? Thanks for your reviews and opinions everyone!

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** haha Thanks! I plan to write a few more one shots centering mainly around Truth, it's role…etc.

 **OtakuGirl:** Really? Naw, I'll take that as a compliment! :3 Thanks OtakuGirl!

 **Bob:** Naww thanks man! :D

 **Penguin19:** No worries ;) BTW: Did you decide on what you want me to write for your birthday since its tomorrow?

 **Emma:** Like I said, it's up to you guys, I wrote it so that you can imagine any couple in this little AU :)

 **Jadasimone16:** hahaha :D I just had to write that to end the chapter :3 I always read that in Al's voice

 **Cassey:** You're very welcome! Feel free to write any ideas you want!

 **INFO : **I should tell everyone, I plan on regularly updating that one chapter written as "Prompts/Ideas", I'll write each of your new prompts as well as my own and tick them off when they are written, in case you want to see what I will write next! :D

Well then, without further distraction from my other crazy side, I present you, Greed (Ling) the Jealous!

* * *

 **Jealousy Doesn't Suit You**

" _What?!_ " Ling growled, his eyes narrowing as he crossed his arms.

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask your bodyguard, Lan Fan of the Yao clan for her hand in marriage," said the puny little punk.

Ling's eye twitched, but he took a deep breath, composing himself quickly as he stared at one of the elite warriors of Xing in the eye.

"Tell me, why the sudden interest in my personal guard?" Ling's eyes narrowed, this couldn't be good.

The young man with brown, slicked back hair and green eyes replied politely, "You see, I'm in need of an heir your Majesty, unfortunately my other ten wives are not able to be with child. I'm assuming Lan Fan is more than qualified, seeing as she is one of the best ninja's Xing has to offer and a woman of lithe stature," while the half brain's eyes were closed, Ling glared daggers at him.

 _"_ _A woman of_ _ **lithe stature**_ _? Is he kidding me?! Marry Lan Fan?!"_ Ling forced on a pleasant smile, hiding his clenched fists beneath his wide sleeves of his haori. He thanked his lucky stars that he sent Lan Fan to eat something otherwise he was sure she would either lung at this insolent man or would restrain _him_ from doing so.

"Yo Ling," Greed waved a hand at him as he leisurely entered the room, still dressed in those hideous black clothes, in Ling's opinion anyway. No matter how much Ling had pleaded with him, he just couldn't get Greed to wear any of their traditional robes, he had tried wearing black and white robes but he had complained that and he cites, _'my boys keep playing ping pong with each-other, that ain't exactly great while running or sparring ya know?'_

Yeah...In Ling's opinion that had been far too much information, even if they had shared the same body before, Greed was and remained crude and direct.

The young ninja who was begging for Lan Fan's hand one minute, looked like he would piss his pants in the next minute upon spotting Greed coming into the room.

Greed had remained in his...or rather Ling's lookalike form, he hadn't bothered choosing any other form, since that would have been 'bothersome'.

"Who's this guy?" Greed rose an eyebrow, his violet eyes narrowing at the visible shaking man.

"M-m-m-m-my M-Majesty...w-w-what is he doing h-here?" the ninja warrior, Shin, asked, fear nearly coming out of his every pore. Greed just rose an eyebrow in confusion, his hands in his pockets.

Ling was confused as well, "What do you mean? Don't you know who this is? Why wouldn't he be here?" Ling crossed his arms, sharing a perplexed look with Greed.

"B-b-but he is a H-Homunculus my Lord! A race we should fear and despise! I've heard they have tried to destroy the world!"

"Now, now, calm your balls man. I had a fucked up family, what can I say? My old man didn't exactly win 'Father of the Year'." Greed rolled his eyes, crossing his arms, "Anyway, what's the half pint doing here?" he pointed at Shin, who looked irritated and fearful at the same time.

Ling rubbed his forehead in frustration, feeling a headache coming on that weirdly hadn't been caused by Greed this time, "Shin here is asking for Lan Fan's hand in marriage,"

Greed suddenly started laughing loudly to the surprise of Shin and Ling.

He held his stomach then placed his hands on his bent knees to control his laughter. Shin gathered his courage and asked with a biting edge," What's so funny?"

When Greed straightened to his full height, his face was partly covered in shadows, making his appearance all the more intimidating as he closed in on Shin, "Look kid, I don't appreciate a stray barking at me, much less asking one of the best fucking ninjas in town to marry them. I saw you a couple of times with other women, what's with them?"

Shin, after mentally checking to make sure he didn't accidentally wet his garb from Greed's intimidating aura, explained with crossed arms, "They cannot be with child unfortunately, which leaves me without an heir," he sighed.

Greed's eye twitched, "Aw hell Ling, do you always have such stupid subordinates?" Shin glared at him, Ling just rolled his eyes.

"Did you think that _maybe_ it's because _you_ can't get any kids? Hell, don't blame such lovely women for your incompetence idiot," Greed sighed dramatically, shaking his head.

Shin growled and lunged at him from behind, but Greed was faster and had more experience, he ducked, grabbed the man's outstretched arm and turned it around sharply, he pressed his own hand against Shin's palm, pressing it forward to create immense discomfort and pain should he press any harder.

"Tch and you call this Xing's elite? Man Ling, I knew you would need my help with ruling the world," Greed shook his head.

"Greed, I'm not ruling over the world, I'm ruling over Xing. And you're a Homunculus," in reality though, Ling fully agreed with Greed. He hadn't known Shin was so weak.

"Yeah, whatever. Just keep those prying hands away from Lan Fan got it?" Greed commented, taking his leave, probably to raid the kitchen again.

Ling frowned, "My apologies for my friend, he seems...slightly at edge at times," Shin rubbed his arm, glaring at the general direction where Greed had disappeared to.

"Your Majesty, that means I can ask for Lan Fan's hand in marriage?" Ling dreaded this moment, oh and how he dreaded it.

From the outside he looked calm and collected, but from the inside, Ling was furiously jealous.

Yes the Emperor of Xing was immensely jealous. All because of Lan Fan, that troublesome woman with her beautiful smile and shy personality and her amazing skills in battle and-

Ling cleared his throat, "Let me ask you one thing, what reason, other than to produce an heir, do you have to marry Lan Fan?"

"To produce an heir, simple as that," Shin said simply, looking perplexed that his Lord would even ask him that. Ling frowned deeply.

Ling's request, or rather command, to abolish the concubine system in Xing, was still pending. He knew it would take a lot of time for his country to get used to it, as it had been tradition for so very long and the only thing the citizens of Xing knew. Ling and surprisingly Greed were against it, Ling had wanted to marry Lan Fan and have her for himself. Why Greed would want to tear down the concubine system was beyond Ling, as he thought he would want to have many beautiful women around him, as he himself has stated a few years back.

Whatever the reason, Ling knew Greed would certainly stop Shin from marrying Lan Fan if Ling himself would fail to keep him away from her, though Ling had the hunch he would physically stop him, break his limbs, tear his heart out, anything.

Ling sighed, "My Lord?" Ling froze, briefly wondering how he hadn't felt Lan Fan's chi directly beside him.

He turned around to regard Lan Fan, still wearing her mask, "Ah, Lan Fan, I take it you enjoyed your meal?" he smiled brightly, feeling his burdens lift almost magically whenever she was around.

Ling could practically see how Lan Fan narrowed her eyes, alone by the fact how her body stiffened slightly, "I sensed Greed's chi as well as Shin's here, has something happened?"

Ling found himself at a loss of words, wait...she _knew_ Shin?

"You know Shin?" he blinked.

"Yes, we have interacted at times, I've given him commands to protect Xing while I was away and to beware of the Homunculi should they have attacked us then," Lan Fan spoke the truth, Ling knew that, he just couldn't help but feel that evil little twinge of jealousy deep inside his heart.

While Ling was thankful their interactions were only professional, Lan Fan would have made sure of that, not to mention Fu when he had been alive, he had always been very protective of his granddaughter.

"I see, well...to be honest with you, he came here to ask me for-"

"Lan Fan! Heads up!" Greed suddenly came storming in the room, Ultimate Shield up and his claws meeting the automail of Lan Fan's arm, as she pushed him away with a expert flick of her wrist.

Greed grinned, "Good, your reflexes haven't dulled," he crossed his arms, Ultimate Shield gone.

Lan Fan lowered her arm, "Greed, must we do this here? We have the training grounds for that," she placed her hands on her hips.

"Ah, ah, ah, no can do honey. You gotta be ready at all times, I don't think your enemies will wait for you at the training grounds to fight you," Greed smiled, "Besides, Ling here seems to be lost in thought, hell a sheep could kill him,"

Ling sent a murderous glare in Greed's direction, who just winked and grinned at him.

"My Lord, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" Lan Fan turned serious again, forgetting her banter with Greed.

Ling swallowed the lump in his throat, turning away from Lan Fan, "Apologies Lan Fan, but Greed and I have something to attend to, stay here and wait until I return," if he didn't give her clear orders, she would have followed him.

Confused but obedient, Lan Fan remained in the throne room.

* * *

Greed walked beside Ling, his hands in his pockets, his demeanor serious, "Why didn't you tell her?"

"She will find out soon enough,"

Greed smirked softly, "Tch, stop acting like a tsundere and tell her already. I didn't mean the thing with that punk, that wouldn't work anyways, I mean tell her you are head over heels for her. When we shared the same body, we shared everything and yes I sensed your feelings for her. She's a fine woman Ling, don't miss that opportunity," Greed seemed very serious about this, something that startled Ling slightly.

"You know I can't," Ling frowned.

Greed growled, "Bullshit you can't! You're just too much of a piss-ant to make the first move, hell to think you managed to subdue me at one point," Greed moved in front of him, stopping Ling in his tracks, "Listen Ling, you're the fucking Emperor of Xing, if ya wanted to, you could kiss the concubine system to hell. But you know why you don't want to? Because you _don't_ want Lan Fan, you want them all don't you? All the women Xing has to offer, you're just a greedy bastard,"

Ling blinked, completely stunned at Greed's words, he was even more surprised when they hit him hard and he punched Greed for it, hard. Greed remained unfazed, having anticipated the action and putting up his Shield.

"Go to hell Greed! I'll show you that I'm honest! Stupid Homunculus," Ling whirled around, his robes flying as he stormed back towards the throne room.

"Stupid human!" Greed fired back just to grate on his nerves further.

Greed opened an eye, watching Ling grow some balls and finally confess his feelings for Lan Fan. He grinned, his good deed for the day was done.

He whistled happily as he spotted a servant in his field of vision," Hey, you there," the little boy stopped, fear present in his eyes at the sight of the tall man.

Greed ignored the smell of fear in the air, "Tell your servant buddies that they should not under any circumstances go to the throne room understand? Not even if you guys hear screams, trust me, I'll be there," it seemed the reassurance that Greed the Avaricious, a being much more powerful than any elite ninja Xing had to offer, would guard his Lord and Lan Fan, was enough to calm their worries.

The boy nodded furiously and ran toward where Greed guessed was the servant's room.

The Homunculus grinned, making himself invisible as well, he didn't think Ling would necessarily appreciate an audience at those things.

* * *

"I wish to speak to my Lord, step aside Homunculus," Shin said in a firm, commanding voice, hoping to intimidate the Homunculus at least a little bit.

Greed just grinned like the devil, his eyes almost a blazing violet/red, "No can do kid, your Lord's busy at the moment," Greed tried hard not to chuckle dirtily.

Shin rose an eyebrow, "That cannot be, I've requested for us to meet this afternoon,"

Greed shrugged, getting irritated, "Sorry, he's got some important business to attend to," the Homunculus crossed his arms, his gaze hard and dangerous as he stared down the little punk.

"Scram or I'll make you," the sadistic grin he wore didn't go unnoticed by Shin, who tried hard not to gulp and sweat in fear.

"I command you to step aside and-" he never finished that sentence.

"You don't command anything here you little piece of shit, now get out before I decide to get hungry and eat you," while his threat was partly playful, it seemed like Shin seriously did believe Greed would eat him or at best, do something equally torturous to him, should he not obey.

Greed never saw a human run so fast in his life.

* * *

"Um...I-I-I'm sorry L-Lan Fan, I-I hope I hadn't be too rough," Ling blushed furiously, covering Lan Fan with his various robes and looking at every nook and cranny to ensure he didn't accidentally injure her.

Lan Fan giggled and smiled and Ling loved seeing her smile and laugh," Please, it's alright, y-you weren't um...I..." she blushed and turned her head away, her shyness overtaking her.

Ling blinked then he laughed heartily, drawing the blushing woman close to him as both started to laugh.

"So um..you won't marry him...right?" Ling had to ask, just to be sure.

"My Lord-"

"Ling," he couldn't believe he still had to remind her.

"L-Ling, of course not, just please don't ever listen to Greed again," Ling rose an eyebrow in confusion, while Lan Fan pouted cutely.

"Why? He was the one who encouraged me to confess my feelings for you after all,"

"I have the feeling like we were being watched...or spied on..." she blushed darkly, covering her face with one of the robes.

Ling's eyes widened in rage, "GREED!"

* * *

Somewhere in a dark room, Greed was sitting on a sofa, eating popcorn and wearing 3D glasses, looking at a little TV screen which showed an enraged Ling and a embarrassed Lan Fan in the throne room.

"Heh, installing those cameras was the best thing I've come up with till now, take that ya lousy runt," Greed grinned, laughing maniacally.

"Man, everything's better in 3D," he grinned, chuckling as he continued watching Ling throw a temper tantrum and threaten to cut off Greed's jewels should he find those cameras anywhere.

Greed chuckled.

 **Hmm...so what do you think? Yeah, I'm not too sure if I got Ling right .**


	33. A Wedding to Remember

**Hey there!** Well, Penguin19's birthday is ACTUALLY tomorrow BUT I took the privilege to update today because I don't know if I'll have time tomorrow! Hope you guys don't mind! ^^

Here's the long awaited chapter you goodies have all been waiting for...

DUN DUN DUUUNNN

The wedding of our two favorite blondes! ;) Inspired by the cover song:" Not A Bad Thing" Justin Timberlake (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover) :D

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Panic:** Gihi, thanks for the ideas! ;) I'll write them down and try to post them as soon as I can, my own ideas (the ones I published here) will be written later, since my readers have my top attention and priority! Parental Roy and Al huh? You mean like they have families and I should write cute little scenes how they act as sweet (overprotective) fathers to their kids? ^^ Naww, that's a nice one. Seriously, thanks for the ideas! Hope you have fun reading this one!

 **Ao tori:** Thanks!

 **Lily:** haha Thanks Lily! :) I love writing and trolling with Greed lol

 **Anonymous J:** (chuckles) Thanks! Oh btw: great entrance back there! I gotta work on my entrances too lol o.o Hey, I'm random all the time, I don't mind other people being random, that just makes me crazier ;) Thank you so much! :3

* * *

 **A Wedding to Remember**

"Uh...Granny I'm not really sure if this is alright!" Winry deadpanned, trying to adjust her dress, which was a bit tighter at her bust.

Pinako grinned surprisingly without her loyal pipe in her mouth, dressed in a formal dress herself, "Nonsense! You look amazing Winry! Stop fiddling with the dress or you will ruin everything!" she slapped her granddaughter's hands away.

Winry sighed, turning this way and that, looking at every layer, every little detail about her dress. It was modest but very beautiful, at Winry's own request. She had been too shy to show too much cleavage as her grandmother had originally wanted, instead she wore a beautiful white wedding dress that left her shoulders open but hugged her normally hidden curves and accentuated them.

White floral patterns were nit into the soft fabric, spreading towards her chest and flaring down at the endings of her dress, which ended her hips in a wider flare. Winry's hair was styled in a curly bun, leaving her two trademark bangs hanging normally to rest lightly against her collarbone and framing her face.

She only applied little eyeliner and a bit of make-up, she chose not to put red lipstick on or Ed would look like a clown when she kissed him.

"Granny...what if Ed doesn't like the dress?" she felt her insecurities grow and backfire on her, she thought the dress to be beautiful but still...

Riza this time had to silence Winry's worries with a smile, "Don't worry Winry, I'm sure Ed will be speechless at the sight of you," she smiled warmly, wearing a long, dark blue dress with dark blue gloves. She giggled internally when Roy nearly fainted at the sight of her.

"Riza's right, Winry! You look beautiful, Edward will be all over you before you even kissed!" Mei grinned and winked suggestively, giggling when Winry turned a darker shade of pink in embarrassment.

"M-Mei! Please! My grandmother is here!" Winry's eyes were wide with horror but to her surprise Pinako just laughed and shook her head.

"Oh, don't worry child, I've been young as well you know?" Pinako smiled, her eyes far away, "Ah yes...back then hiding in the shed had been a good opportunity..." she giggled and Winry almost turned green, the other women just smiled nervously at the tid bit too much information.

There was a sudden knock on the door, Mei opened it cautiously.

It was Ed.

"Hey Mei! Please let me go inside, is Winry ok? Is everything alright? D-does she still want to marry me?! Wait, is she even here?! Winry! OW!" Ed retreated back when he had tried to open the door, Winry had thrown her trusty wrench at his head and slammed her body against the door, effectively keeping him out from seeing her.

"ED! You stupid moron! Of course I'm still here! Where else would I be?! You know you aren't supposed to see me before the wedding!" Winry was nervous but also frustrated with her fiancé.

"Ow! That didn't mean you had to give me a concussion before our wedding you mechanic freak! A-anyway," his voice suddenly grew shy, dropping the fierce edge it had before," Um, well, I was sorta worried and I just wanted to know if you were alright..." Winry could only imagine how Ed was blushing and scratching the back of his neck.

She smiled brightly, "U-Um...y-yeah, I'm alright Ed, thank you...what about y-you?" Winry played with her fingers, not noticing how her friends in the room; Riza, Mei, Paninya and Lan Fan were all looking at her with smug smiles or knowing looks.

"I-I'm fine too...um...you know, I just wanted to say that I-STOP POKING ME YOU FREAK!" Ed suddenly hollered and Winry heard Ling's laughter sound as she heard frantic thuds and footsteps sounding.

"Ed?" Winry blinked, perplexed. Then there was another knock.

"Hey, sweetheart, can I come in? Your fiancé's a bit busy with Ling right now, piss-ant had the genius plan to distract him so he wasn't sweating buckets from being so nervous," it was Greed's deep voice.

Winry sighed heavily, opening the door slowly so Greed could slip in and closed it again.

He whistled lowly in appreciation, looking at Winry from head to toe, he grinned, "Hoho, nice dress sweetheart. Suits your style," Winry smiled, feeling flattered Greed thought she looked nice in her dress.

"Thank you Greed, are you sure Ed is alright?" her blue eyes shone with concern.

Greed rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, don't worry, the runt's fine. He's just worrying over nothing, keeps talking how you may leave him or change your mind or shit like that," Greed winked at Lan Fan, who blushed at the suggestive wink, "Lan Fan, my girl, what do you say we make ourselves scarce and check out the closets in the back?" he wiggled his eyebrows and Lan Fan could only roll her eyes.

"Greed," Greed perked up, but blanched slightly when Lan Fan slightly lifted her dress, showing a bit of her leg, revealing she had many kunais and other weapons strapped to her.

"Right, sorry," the Homunculus straightened his tie, dressed in a sharp tuxedo all black with a white shirt underneath.

"Why would Ed think I would leave him? That idiot..." Winry shook her head, sighing.

Greed looked at her, his hands in his pockets, "He said something how you were too good for him, how he didn't want to make you unhappy because he never had his old man to raise him and he had no idea how to behave as a husband or father," Greed shrugged but smiled softly, giving Winry a meaningful look.

"The kid's alright sweetheart, I would say he's the best man for you, walking on automail and flesh as he is. I've seen my fair share of vile men, trying to take over the world and caring for women, power and money, I've been like that too at one point. But it's a miracle how one woman can change your entire way of thinking," Greed shot Lan Fan a meaningful look, smiling softly when she blushed and turned away.

Winry grew thoughtful, her expression softening as she walked toward Greed to stand right in front of him, she looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes as she hugged him tightly.

Greed's eyes widened before he relaxed and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back like a brother would his little sister.

"Thank you Greed," Winry said, breaking apart and kissing his cheek.

Greed grinned widely, a real smile, and chuckled, "No worries sweetheart, let me just check up on your idiot to-be husband. I'm not sure if Ling overdid it again or not," Greed sighed, pretending to be annoyed and exited the room.

"Hm, I really wonder how that man still isn't married," Pinako wondered aloud, rubbing her chin, "Look at him. He's a fine specimen of the male race,"

Winry laughed heartily as did the other women.

"Well, I do hope that little speech of his eased your worries Winry," Paninya said, still giggling at Pinako's comment.

"Yeah, definitely. I'll have to thank Greed and Ling later on," Winry smiled, accepting Riza's help when she settled the veil of her blonde head.

"Do I look ok?" Winry couldn't help but ask again.

"You look wonderful," Riza nodded, smiling at the younger woman.

Pinako agreed, taking Winry by the hand, "Wait! Granny will you lead me to the altar?" Pinako smiled, tears in her eyes.

"Of course I will dear, it would be my pleasure," Winry smiled, kissing Pinako's cheek as the organ sounded from outside the door.

"It's time," Mei said, clapping her hands together.

* * *

"What happened to you?" Roy asked Ling, who sported a rather noticeable bump on his head, which looked slightly painful.

Ling sighed, rubbing his head, "Don't ask,"

"How is he holding up?" Roy whispered to Al, who was Ed's best man, next to him.

Al looked at Ed, whose antenna kept moving frantically and his nervously tapping foot, "Um..."

Greed rolled his eyes, covering his foot in the ultimate shield and slamming it on Ed's, _hard_.

A resonating metallic sound echoed, thankfully it was swallowed by the traditional wedding music inside the church. Ed slowly turned his head toward Greed, grinning like a cat, "Ha! You just got my automail foot you bast-ARGH!" Ed yelped in pain when Greed stomped his other, human foot, equally hard, stopping his frantic tapping.

"Nah I didn't. Stop fidgeting kid, it's making me nervous," Ed sent daggers in Greed's direction while Al just sighed and smiled.

He placed a comforting hand on Ed's shoulder, "Don't worry brother, everything will be alright you'll see,"

Ed swallowed hard, "Y-yeah...thanks Al," he smiled at his younger brother and his breath sharply got caught in his throat.

First, the maids of honor walked along the carpeted floor, first Mei, Riza, Lan Fan then Paninya.

What caused Ed to nearly suffocate wasn't them though, even if they were dressed beautifully, no, it was who entered behind all of them, holding her grandmother's hand.

Winry.

Ed smiled happily, his eyes softening into a loving, happy expression as he gazed upon the woman that had held his heart for so long.

Winry was breathtakingly beautiful, in Ed's eyes she was perfect with all her flaws and skills, with all her pros and cons, even the evil, twisted wrench.

But most importantly she was his and he was hers. That was all that mattered.

And when she stood before him, as beautiful as ever, and uttered the words he had longed to hear for a very long time, "Yes, I do,"

He felt complete.

There was nothing Truth or anyone else could ever take away from him now. It didn't matter that he had a leg made of automail.

As long as he had Winry by his side and his friends were safe and well, nothing else mattered.

 **The end! :D So...what do you guys think? :)**


	34. When God's Away, Satan Comes to Play

**Yo!** I'm back (crazy laugh) Ok, I should consider to stop being so weird...hmm...nah. ;)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Penguin20:** (smiles) Naww, thanks! :3 And once again, happy birthday! (cyber hug) haha Thank you, I hope your birthday was great (and the cake all the better) ;)

 **Lily:** (embarrassed smile) eheh, thanks Lily! Aw hell, I always get embarrassed like a school girl when someone tells me I write good .

 **Emma:** Hihi you're welcome! :)

 **Cassey:** Thank you so much (P.S. I think you did leave a review for the previous chapter ^^) Yeah, I don't know, personally, I don't see Greed and Winry as a couple (if there are any crack fans here, couple crack fans not actual crack fans lol XD) I could write them in a romantic aspect :3

 **Panic:** Really? Aw man I hope ^_^ I'm only 18 so I have no idea how pre-wedding nerves were supposed to go so I just imagined myself how I would freak out, toned it down a little and applied it to the fic XD. Oh, I see, aw that's a good idea for a fanfic! *.* Don't worry, I'll get to it! Like I said, you're the chefs, I'm the cooking junior who cooks the basics! ;)

* * *

 **When God's Away, Satan Comes to Play**

Truth sighed heavily, resting an arm on his knee as he sat in front of his Gate, the Gate of Truth. He clicked his tongue irritably as he regarded his...'guest' before him, who was sitting opposite of him, cross-legged on the floor.

"I usually have to take something precious away when Alchemists open the Gate of Truth, but...why are you here again?" Truth did not smile like he usually did, his mouth was in a thin line.

The creature on the other side opposite of Truth, a creature equally powerful as his counterpart, was grinning devilishly.

"Funny as always I see. Well, if you must know, it's been rather boring in my realm so I came to visit my old friend," he tilted his head, sharp rows of teeth visible, making his appearance all the more feral.

Truth sighed, "Old friend huh? Satan, you and I have been at each-other's throats for centuries." Truth couldn't believe it, the King of Hell itself actually came to visit him, great.

"You deny my very existence, claim 'Hell' doesn't exist and that 'Satan' or devils are merely creatures of fairy tales and children's bedtime stories, how can I not belittle Heaven and God?" Satan smirked evilly, running a hand through his black, spiky hair.

"I've explained it to you countless of times, Heaven and Hell don't exist, they are merely fabricated stories made by foolish humans," Truth grit his teeth.

Satan laughed, "Oh? Fabricated stories huh? That means that you and I aren't supposed to exist, we aren't even supposed to be having this conversation, God. Oh, I'm sorry, do you prefer I call you _Truth_?" Satan mocked, grinning broadly, "Hell knows you've been a cheap liar and had a weird sense of irony, calling yourself Truth, that I don't laugh,"

"I place judgment upon foolish Alchemists who defy the laws of Alchemy, Satan, I teach them lessons which would aid them further in life and help them grow and develop. Take Edward Elric for example, he sacrificed his Gate of Truth in order to bring back his brother. He had been the only one worthy of it and I acknowledged him," Truth crossed his arms, Satan only adopted a childish grin.

" _Oh_ you are a saint, I get it and I'm a devil aren't I?" Satan laughed, "Edward Elric has his demons but he's a goodie-two shoes. What I'm looking for is someone such as Greed,"

Truth rose a invisible eyebrow, "Greed? Greed the Avaricious? The Homunculus?" Satan grinned, winking.

"Yeah, exactly. The boy has everything a bastard like me can wish for; he's got wit, he's got charm, a body to die for, a devil attitude and he's funny, I like him." Truth shook his head.

"Satan, stop trying to recruit people into your realm. Greed the Avaricious has chosen the good side, though if he continues pulling such pranks I'm afraid he will end up in hell for this," Satan nodded, smiling.

"Anyway...I heard you're treading on dry land?" Satan wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, sharp teeth showing.

Truth bristled at the suggestive remark, "What are you implying?" any ideas the Devil King had were very, very bad ideas that just screamed 'trouble'.

"It's well known among humans that the devil always gets the girls, but do tell, why the pretence of being pure and not get a lady yourself?" Satan smirked, looking at his frienemy with a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

Truth snorted, "Oh? Haven't you heard? My wife is the supreme commander of angels," Truth grinned his usual, unnerving grin.

Satan sighed this time, "Stop yanking my chain you old geezer."

"Why is it that God always has to be old and wrinkly and Satan is always young and handsome?" Truth looked displeased.

Satan laughed, "Join the bad side, come on, I know you want to. Besides, it's well known that bad boys are the studs and good guys are nerds and shit," Satan looked smug as he inspected his sharp claws.

Truth rolled his invisible eyes at his old friend, slapping his head, "Says a demon that's lived since the beginning of Time," Satan shot Truth a dirty look.

"Heh, you sure are prickly today aren't you?" Satan grinned in almost a friendly manner, his wine colored eyes unnerving.

Satan, unlike Truth who took on the form of any Alchemist that entered his realm or adopting anything the person has lost like Edward's leg and arm and was usually formless, Satan's appearance was that of a young handsome man. Something many women would describe as "tall, dark and handsome". With his short, spiky black hair, wine almost red eyes, strong, lean build and the small horns on his head he truly fit the definition of "handsome devil".

Truth snickered, wide grin showing, "When will you throw away that imitation and show your true form, old friend? I haven't seen the real you for a thousand years for sure," Truth knew age was a sensitive subject to his counterpart.

As expected, Satan stiffened, "Tch, I don't know what you mean," he crossed his muscled arms beneath his leather jacket, fire dancing in his eyes in warning.

"Interesting. A immortal being is sensitive to age? Just because we are immortal doesn't mean we don't age, dear Satan," Satan growled and pointed an accusing finger at the white figure.

"You're one to talk! You _are_ youthful! You drank from the well of eternal youth need I remind you! That was supposed to be _my_ well but _you_ stole it!" fire enveloped Satan's horns, making his appearance all the more demonic instead of human.

Truth giggled maniacally, "You've left me no choice, it was a much too good opportunity to pass you see. It was the first thing I had in mind after realizing you wanted to be youthful forever," Truth laughed, running a hand over his head.

Satan stomped his foot and sat back down cross legged on the floor, avoiding eye contact with his age old friend.

"Did I hurt your feelings?" Truth blinked, amused that the Devil King seemed to have mood swings.

"Oh shut up you piece of shit! Your jokes are getting older each time! Try some cool ones for a change!" Satan snorted, wine eyes blazing in fury.

Truth laughed while Satan cursed every of his supernatural colleagues he knew to curse Truth.

"I do wonder what the beautiful Aceso ( **A/N: Greek Goddess for curing illnesses and healing wounds** ) would say about your jerkass nature," Satan smirked, knowing he hit a sore spot.

Truth suddenly stopped laughing, "Do not be foolish Satan, only a fool of the underworld would mingle with creatures of the light,"

"Oho, so I hit a nerve eh? What? I can't complement the Goddess of Alkahestry at least a little?" Satan grinned, winking as he saw Truth getting worked up and jealous.

"You are despicable," Truth shook his head, frowning.

Satan laughed, "Ha! I knew you had the hots for her! Damn I have to admit, she looks fine," he grinned like the devil, laughing, "Well, she's beautiful but she ain't my type," Satan crossed his arms, smirking smugly.

A teasing grin grew on Truth's face, "Ohh, I see. My, my Satan, having grown soft have we? I thought you enjoyed life with your little nymphs in Hell? I had no idea you fancy oh wait...what was her name again? Could it be _Aela_?" Truth snickered at the expression of pure rage on Satan's face.

"YOU LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS YOU STINKING JERK!"

"Make me Satan!" Truth laughed maniacally, knowing Satan had no power over him in his realm, as he had no power should he step foot into Satan's realm.

The Devil King settled down, content to shoot Truth dirty looks and dagger glares.

"You're the same tricky bastard as ever, making humans suffer just because you're the big bad cruel truth," Satan smirked and suddenly the atmosphere grew serious.

"You call me cruel while you take them from the land of the living and punish them for their sins?" Truth was calm, observing his frienemy with a calculating look.

Satan smirked, running a hand through his coal black hair, "Not such a demonic job is it? Many mortals believe Satan or any other demon to be evil, focused on destruction and 'sins'. Any and all mortals and immortal beings who enter my realm are punished for what crimes and sins they've committed in their past life, some choose to be reborn again to right their mistakes, others dwell in the pits of hell and never learn anything,"

The King of devils looked at Truth with one eye open, "As do you, God," Truth grimaced, "Oh, don't give me that look, old friend. You do the same thing I do, the only difference is my subjects are already dead when they enter Hell. Yours are among the living, they say you're cruel but you deal out punishments that fit the Alchemist that has broken the rules. Take the current Führer, Roy Mustang was it? His Gate had been forced open by a sin called Pride, you've taken the majority of the brat's strength but you were forced to take something from Mustang as well, so you opted to take away his most precious thing; his eyesight. Unable to see the world he had longed for years to see be built and righted before his very eyes," a slow smile spread across Satan's handsome face.

Truth remained silent, then he spoke with a calm, light voice, "It is odd how you know so much of my responsibility isn't it Satan? I didn't know you had such a keen interest in my ordeals," an equally wide grin spread across Truth's white face.

Satan closed his eyes, standing up and smirking like the creature he was, "Demons are known to mingle with human affairs, as much as I try to keep them in line, accidents always happen." Satan opened his eyes and they pierced Truth directly, "I suppose even a perfect being such as 'God' or 'Truth' has his dark side. Do not worry, old friend," Satan grinned.

"Your demons are perfectly safe with me and I take special care to not let them out," with a devil-may-care grin, Satan disappeared swallowed by his own fires from hell, back in his realm.

Truth remained motionless.

Then his smile vanished.

* * *

 **So...opinions? Should I write more 'serious' fanfics now, what do you think?**


	35. Ideas for Chapters

**Hi everyone! SORRY this is NO NEW CHAPTER! T_T**

 **I WILL update soon, very soon, BUT beforehand I wanted to make a vote of sorts.** Its about **STORY PROMPTS/IDEAS** for future one shots!

Of course, I noted all yours down and will update them **as fast as I can** but **I wanted to know your opinion on my own ideas (if it's a good idea to write them down or not lol)** ^^ Thanks for the patience you guys have with me! T,T

 **NOTE: I WILL UPDATE THIS REGULARLY! **

**1**. "Jealousy Doesn't Fit You" - Greed/Ling is jealous because some other prince from Xing asked Lan Fan to marry him. **DONE!**

 **2.** "Letters from War" - where Winry (or any other female char) sends letters to Ed (without knowing him) in order to encourage him to survive in the military, get to know each-other through letters...etc. Ed comes "home" and Winry decides to go out with him and meet him for real. P.S. Greed and Ling (separate bodies, they will be twins in this one shot), Al, Roy, Hughes, (the rest from Mustang Unit), Scar will also be there with Ed as war buddies a.k.a fellow soldiers. **WRITTEN AS A SEPARATE STORY! (go to my profile if you want to read it)**

 **3.** "What is that?!" - where Ed and Winry (adults, parents) find out about fanfiction, read a couple of fics, then their children want to read too but they shoo them away because they found the "Rated M" section ;) haha **DONE!**

 **4**. "When Gods away, Satan comes to play" - a funny little drabble about the relationship between Satan and "God" ("Truth") in FMA. **DONE!**

 **5**. "The Examination" - Greed goes home to Xing (everyone thinks it's Ling), in the privacy of his bed chambers, he examines himself in front of the mirror, commenting how Ling works out but that his (Greed's) original body is way hotter...etc. Final assesment: Greed likes his new body. **DONE!**

 **6**. "Such a Stud" - a different take on when Greed introduced himself to Lan Fan, takes place after the fight with Gluttony when Lan Fan returns with new automail. Lan Fan is sitting quietly at a stand, eating, Greed approaches her, tries to be flirty but Lan Fan shows him the cold shoulder...etc. **DONE!**

 **7.** "The Homunculi go to school" - Lust: the school's slut, sleeps with every teacher just to get good grades. Sloth-lazy ass, never does homework, dim witted, fastest runner in P.E. and strongest guy in school. Gluttony - constantly gets mocked because of his weight, eats all the time in class and has sweets with him all the time. Greed - never lies, bad boy, selfish (lol), has good grades, charmer, womanizer. Pride - excellent student, praises himself a lot, arrogant kid. Wrath - takes anti-agression courses, commonly starts fights when angered, usually calm and nice, excellent grades. Envy - jealous of Wrath, Greed and Pride, shows interest in boys and girls, "meh grades" (not the best student out there lol) **DONE!**

 **8.** "Telephone Talks" - where Roy and Riza talk through the phone with each-other, Riza under the alias "Elizabeth", flirt with each-other, Mustang Unit exasperated with them (they know about their secret phone calls) **DONE!**

 **9.** "Perfect Boyfriend" - lists made by Winry, Mei, Lan Fan and Riza of the expectations they have for their boyfriends. Funny **DONE!**

 **10**. "I was a King under your control" - Roy muses over how he may be the King in the chess game, but Riza is the Queen, who actually pulls the strings and has power over him. If he loses his Queen, he will lose everything. Info: How Mustang created his "chess" scheme and comparing his unit with chess figures.

 **11**. "You Can't Love Someone without loving Yourself first" - EdWin, Royai, AlMei, Greedling/Lan Fan, I remember there is some fanart for various fandoms around where this line is also mentioned a lot, I'll explain when/if I post this chapter.

 **12.** "Whats He to You?" - What's a mob to a king? What's a king to a god? What's a god to a nonbeliever? Fic about Truth, Ed, Alchemy in general. **DONE!**

 **13.** "7 Things I hate about You" - EdWin, Royai, AlMei, Greedling/Lan Fan. Basically listing 7 things they hate/love about their significant other ;)

 **14**. "Baby Troubles" - EdWin, Royai, AlMei, Greedling &Lan Fan (maybe even funny uncle Greed?)

 **15\. "** Ed's Favorite Mechanic" - Angry, happy, sad, tomboyish, loving, it didn't matter to Edward Elric, he loved his wife either way. Little drabble about all the sides Ed loves about Winry ^^

 **16.** "Wax Those Legs!" - a funny little one shot where our favorite Homunculus decides to wax his legs ;) **DONE!**

 **17.** "I See Humans but No Humanity" - serious fic, mentions of poverty, cruelty, Homunculus' (Father's) reason for becoming evil, what drove Hohenheim to help humanity (witnessing countless of deaths in wars, poverty in the streets...etc.)

 **18.** "Regicide" - the action of killing a king. Various pairings.

 **19.** "Playing God" – Truth fic, mentioned Satan, alchemy, humanity's mistakes, how Ed and Al thought they could revive their mother without consequences...etc.

 **20.** "Angel to You, Devil to Me" - inspired by the song "Angel to you, devil to me" by the Click Five. Couples: mostly Greedling&Lan Fan, EdWin (my OC's; Robert Windmill, some random village men or mechanics...etc.), Royai and random men from the military who like Riza. ^^

 **21.** "Chopped Love" - funny little drabble about Roy getting jealous over Barry the Chopper (Nr. 66) fawning over Riza, sending her flowers, asking her out on dates..etc. INFO: Barry is NOT a suit of armour anymore, his soul had gotten trapped into a body of a handsome, previously deceased soldier.

 **22.** "Best Friend" - loosely based on the song "Best Friend" by Jason Cheng. Main Pairing: EdWin, Side pairings: LingFan

 **23.** "Sins and Sinners, Redemption and Beginners" - fic about Homunculi, their roles and the sin they represent, my take on what drove Father to get rid of these emotions in the first place (the guilt of having taken so many human souls/lives when he created Philosopher Stones)

 **24**. "Because I Could" - about Kimblee, how he killed people in the war. Warning: death, blood and gore, serious fic. **DONE!**

 **25\. "** Mother? Please tell me about..." - Mother? Please tell me about the woman that inspired you (Riza) and the man that loved you.

 **26.** "Dad? Please tell me about..." - Dad? Please tell me about the brother (Ling) that loved you and the hero (Ed) that saved you. P.S. I bet you will never guess who the 'Dad' in this fic is ;)

 **27.** "Right or Wrong?" – If I did the right thing... then...why am I in so much pain? Who decides what is wrong and right? Is Truth really cruel? Is Equivalent Exchange just an illusion to make us believe there actually exists justice in this world? Or...is everything we ever knew just a lie? Truth fic!

 **28.** "The Lonely King" - Royai fic

 **29.** "My Handsome Prince" - inspiration drawn from a very cool fanmade video (fandom: the Miraculous Ladybug, TV show) called "Miraculous Ladybug - Handsome Prince (Comic Dub). Pairings: EdWin, Royai, Lingfan, Greed X Lena, AlMei. **DONE!**

 **30.** "Domestic Bliss" - featuring our favorite pairings in various situations at home! **DONE!**

 **31.** "Romeo & Juliet" - Greed X Lena, loosely based on the old song from Taylor Swift "Love Story". Suggestions for other pairings are welcome!

 **32.** "She's Mine, Not Yours" - Greed X Lena fic, Envy is jealous and wants Lena to himself!

 **33.** "Only Human" - mentioned: Truth, Kimblee, Ishvalan war, the Homunculi and their thoughts on humans and the war...

 **34**. "What's a soulmate?" - all pairings, "It's uh, well it's like a best friend but more. It's the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else..." **DONE**

 **35.** "Hello Handsome Stranger" - What's a woman to do in order to spice up the intimacy between her and her husband? Meet a handsome stranger at a bar of course! ;) **DONE!**

 **36\. "** The Dead Queen" - What if the Queen were to fall? Would her kingdom crumble as well? Would the skies burn and mourn her death? Only time will tell. COMING SOON!

 **37.** "Daddy's Little Girl" - FATHER/DAUGHTER MENTIONS: Hughes/Alicia, Greed/Avaritia/Emilia, Roy/Liza, Ling/Nanami, Ed/Sarah, Al/Alice COMING SOON!

 **38.** "The Past, the Present and the Future" - 3 ghosts appear one night before the man they thought needed to be reminded of something very important. COMING SOON!

 **39.** "Digging up the Past" - where we find out more about Lena's past, her parents and what drove her to become an alchemist! COMING SOON!

 **40.** "The Butterfly Effect" - " _You can't change who people are without changing who they were,"_ mentions of events leading to Ishval War, the making of the Philosophers Stone, the creation of the Homunculi...etc. Truth center character and narrator!

 **41.** "It was Her all along" - fic about Kimblee, we all know he was a bit mad, a bit power hungry and had a love for explosives? What if he survived the war and after the war, he had returned to the one person that had believed in him all along? A person that never got frightened by him? A person he could actually trust?

 **42\. "** A Story, A Legend" - story of Hohenheim, the Dwarf in the flask, Trisha, the Elric brothers...etc. "You came into my life as a story, you left as a legend," was written on the gravestone.

 **43**. "If You could see Me Now" - Ed/Hohenheim, mentions of flashbacks of Ed's past, rocky relationship between the two but Ed still loves his dad.

 **44.** "The Asking Price" - inspired by "Undone" by FFH, about military, war...etc.

 **45.** "Kings and Thieves" - AU about kingdoms, Truth is the king, Satan the thief/rival king. Truth fic!

 **46.** "Night of Terrors" - Envy fic, Envy has nightmares about things he has done, about Father, his siblings, Ishval, the war...etc. How and why he killed the Ishvalan child and caused the war to break out...etc.

 **47.** "The Milgram Experiment" - just how far can a person go in order to get something they want? How much would they be willing to sacrifice? But most important of all...just _who_ were they willing to sacrifice and suffer?

 **48.** "Of Gods and Us" - "The gods envy us. They envy us because we're mortal, because any moment may be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again" - Homer, the Iliad Truth, Homunculi fic!

 **49.** "Symbol of Peace & Freedom" - Wings represents freedom to those who have none - Zack Fair (Final Fantasy 7 Crisis Core) "All he wanted was freedom and peace, for the world to be sane again and make sense...he didn't expect this," Winry's lips formed into a frown at Al's words. He was right and they couldn't do anything but watch.

 **50.** "The Lost Son" - let's all pretend Father actually had a heart and cared for his children...here are his thoughts and feelings about when Greed left!

 **51.** "The Devil Pays a Visit" - where Satan visits Greed. _"Satan's eyes shifted from Greed to his sleeping family, a wide grin stretching over devilish features as fear gripped Greed's heart." "When they come to my realm, it is already too late for redemption,"_ -Satan to Greed.

 **52.** "Education be damned" – funny fic where Greed attempts to teach his kids about sex.

 **53.** "My Wife, My Son, My Life," – fic about Wrath/Bradley and his wife as well as Selim. The Homunculus isn't as cold hearted as he appeared to be it seemed.

 **54.** "The Definition of Stupid" – Narrator: Truth, His task? Teach the world about stupidity. "Words are like swords, if you use them the wrong way, it'll turn into ugly weapons," –quote by Conan Edogawa, from _Detective Conan_.

 **55.** "Gentle Death" – serious fic with Lust and Hohenheim! **DONE!**

 **56.** "I trust you" – Lingfan fic! Mentions of Greedlingfan! **DONE!**

 **57.** "I have my other men!" – Greed x Lena funny fic! " _Fine!_ I have my other men!" Lena stuck her tongue out at Greed, irritated. Greed guffawed, "Your _other men_?"

 **58.** "The Misunderstood Gentleman" - Funny one shot where Ed calls Kimblee a pedophile for complimenting Winry. Where Buccaneer calls him a lecher for praising Olivier's dangerous aura. And where Roy threatens to burn him should he attempt to spy on Riza changing again.

 **59.** "Little One" - where we see Greed's complexes and problems with bullies and the desire to have friends in his childhood years. _Greed put on a brave face then and said in a quiet but composed voice, "Hello, I'm Greed," in a matter of minutes, whispers sounded in the classroom and one boy promptly rose from his seat and pointed a finger at Greed, "Greed?! Just what kind of stupid name is that? Boo! I don't like your name!" Greed shrunk back from all the glaring and shouting children._

 **60.** "Um...Santa?" - Yeah, I know Christmas is long over, but I just got a funny/embarrassing idea to go with it! Greed X Lena fic, EdWin, AlMei, Royai, Kimblee X random village woman, Bradley X Mrs. Bradley. ^^ _"Dear Santa, for Christmas, I want Mr. Santa to seduce me,", "Dear Santa, for Christmas, I would like a new set of wrenches and automail oil,", "Dear Santa, for Christmas, I would like a stripper, thanks!"_ Chaos ensues!

 **61.** "Amestris Second, Xing Third" - my people, I think everyone knows what this is about, yes it is: AMERICA FIRST. But please...can Amestris become second and the Xingese third? **Notice: Will ONLY be written if everyone wants it! Parody!**

 **62.** "Peeping Greed" - where instead of Ed innocently eating a sandwich while watching Winry undress, it's with Greed and Lena!

 **63.** "Everything" - Because he had nothing so he killed a man who had everything. MENTIONS: Envy, Hughes, Mustang...etc.

 **64.** "An Explosive Awakening" - based of off Episode 33 where Kimblee and Scar face off! Kimblee fic!

 **65.** "I'll be your soldier" - EdWin! Where Winry gets into a battlefield and Ed decides that, for once, he would willingly become a soldier, a dog of the military, if it meant she was safe.

 **66.** "Hits Are not for children" - documentary-like one shot about abuse towards children, mentions: Father x Homunculi.

 **67**. "My Bro is a Homunculus" - semi-funny fic between the bromance of Greed and Ling.

 **68.** "Valentine's Day Special" - couples mentioned: Izumi & Sig, EdWin, AlMei, Royai, Lingfan, Olivier & Buccaneer, Kimblee X Lena (friendship), Greed & Lena, Greedlingfan, Bradley & Mrs. Bradley, Scar & random Ishvalan woman. **If you have more suggestions for pairings please tell me before the 24th of February thanks! :)**

 **69.** "Giant Fatass" - "It's _amazing_ that you're not a giant fatass!" Well...who said Ling wasn't proud of his toned butt? "Tch, _your_ ass? I think you meant _my_ ass bitch!" Greed smirked proudly, looking at himself in the mirror. Ling smirked, echoing his words back to the Homunculus, "Well, it's the _same_ ass," he grinned.

 **70**. "The Stench of Blood" - Kimblee fic! Blood, gore and violence ahead! " _Don't you like the sight of blood? Don't you like to **kill**?! I can see it in your eyes, Miss Marksman, you've killed and you enjoyed it. Because it showed the extent of your skill and you prided yourself in the knowledge you were superior than **them**_ ,"

 **71.** "The Raging Atheist" - fic about God, atheists, Wrath, the Ishvalan war...basically definitions of religions, contradictions and speculations about it, all in the POV of the FMA characters! :)

 **72.** "Types of Drunks" - funny fic where we learn what happens when the boys of Fullmetal Alchemist get drunk! (Roy, Ed, Al, Greed, Ling, Alex, Kimblee, Hughes). And what will the girls do when the men get drunk? (Inspired by a **Fairy Tail OVA** where the girls of Fairy Tail get drunk!)

 **73.** "Staring back at You" - in which Greed is left with Ling's body and how he reacts to Ling dying on the Promised Day instead of him. **DONE!**

 **74.** "Wrath the Furious vs Greed the Avaricious" - battle sequences, philosophies, relationship between Greed and Wrath. **DONE!**

 **75.** "Family Tree" - even Homunculi have that! Homunculi fic, hilarity ensues!

 **76.** "Heterosexual Life Partners" - funny fic featuring Sig  & Alex, Ling & Greed, Hughes & Roy, Heinkel & Darius, Jerso & Zampano. " _We are heterosexual life partners!" ... "You're what?...?" Mustang downed his drink faster than the two chimera's could blink._

 **77.** "Threats and Innuendos" - random one shot about various one liners of the characters of FMA and reactions to them.

 **78.** "Merchant of Death" - He was just a merchant, it wasn't in his power what his clients did with the things he sold them, he was just a simple merchant. Truth fic! Where Truth plays the merchant that _gifts_ everyone something! " _W-What kind of gift is this?! I never asked for this!" Ed shouted out in outrage, clutching at his bleeding arm tightly, "I asked for me to be able to improve my alchemy and use it without a transmutation circle!" Truth grinned eerily, "You asked for better dexterity and I granted your wish by taking it,"_ Truth's logic wouldn't be easy to uncover and yet his cruel punishments made sense in a twisted way. Making a singer mute so she could experience and appreciate sounds and voices better and make her adapt to using instruments and create music that way? Destroying the womb of a young woman who has been waiting for her child to be born to set the couple's sights on adopting children who suffer loneliness in orphanages?

Ehehe...sorry about this! I have too many ideas don't I? (sweat drop) DON'T WORRY you all, of course I'll write YOUR requests and prompts FIRST and THEN I will write my own (sorry I'm sometimes selfish .). Tell me what you think about these ideas please! Good? Bad? Meh?


	36. The Sharpshooter & The Führer

Back again with another new one shot this time, it's a cool prompt from **Ao tori**! :) I do hope everyone, especially Ao tori, enjoys it (and I hope I met the expectations ^^)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Ao tori:** More Royai? Coming right up! :)

 **Lily:** Really? Aw man, good luck with that! (sweat drop) School can seriously gnaw at your nerves, especially the first day (especially at a different school...lol I should know, I traveled far too much for my young years .")

 **Penguin20:** Really? Cool! :3 Oh and thanks for the compliment! :D

 **Bob:** Yeah he, it (whatever gender Truth is, I decided Truth to be male so I don't write 'it' all the time xd) is. I consider writing more serious fics about Truth.

 **Panic:** (laughs) haha sure thing! :) I can write it as the next chapter if you like. Thank you so much! I was thinking that Satan (as far as anyone believes in him, I believe in him in that 'fantasy-like aspect' not really religious myself but I believe we all have our devils and angels in us ^^) was commonly misunderstood, like Truth. (slaps forehead) Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I'll write that as the next chapter! . I'm so sorry Panic, I wanted to ask if I forgot anyone's prompts, god I'm so sorry! (falls to the floor in misery)

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** hahah Aw that's a pretty funny reaction ^^ I think I would have been the lead fan girl to get the crazy idea to kidnap Ed lol ;)

 **Lily:** Oh, sorry about that, I deleted the previous chap titled "IdeasPrompts" and placed it here when I edited it, that's why it says it's "also" chapter 35.

 **OtakuGirl:** Seen it? Hell, I've been watching it since it first aired as an anime! :D hahah I'm a really big Fairy Tail fan :3 I've been thinking of writing some Fairy Tail fics but I'm not sure if I would be good at writing them :P

 **AUTHORS NOTE : **Btw, I thought it may be interesting. If you guys want to, you can ask me any and all questions you can think of, may they be personal or related to fanfiction/animes…etc. :) A friend had the idea so you guys get to know me better haha. And I've got a good dose of humor, so I won't get offended don't worry ;)

* * *

 **The Sharpshooter & The Führer**

Riza smiled softly, gently caressing the baby's soft cheek as it quietly slept in its crib. Her brown orbs melted when she saw how the baby grabbed for her finger in her sleep.

She heard two sets of footsteps approaching them and her heart quickened in anticipation.

"Is she asleep?" Riza heard a deep voice whisper quietly, the soft whimper she heard was from Hayate.

"Yes," she whispered quietly back and felt strong arms wrap around her waist, she relaxed into the broad chest of her husband, who affectionately kissed the side of her face and rubbed her stomach, "How was your day?"

"Tiresome. Very much so. Fullmetal visited me today," Roy answered softly in the nape of her neck, nuzzling it and inhaling the scent of her skin, sweat, baby powder and the lavender smell of her clothing.

Riza rose an eyebrow, rubbing her husband's knuckles softly, "Oh? What did he want? Doesn't Winry expect her baby soon?"

Roy chuckled softly, looking at the sleeping, curled up ball in the crib with love and affection, "Yes, she does. Any day now he told me. He was very nervous and on edge because of it, he came to seek advice actually," Riza could hear the surprise in his voice.

"And that surprises you? After all, this is our second child Roy, I imagine Ed must be very troubled since it will be his first, what did he say it will be? A boy?"

Roy shook his head, "They decided to wait until it was born to find out. No, actually, it wasn't only because of that," now that got Riza's full attention as she lead Black Hayate and Roy out of the baby room to speak normally.

Roy sat down on a chair he pulled out from the kitchen table, Riza sat opposite of him, "So, what is it he needed advice for?"

Roy sighed, "He told me how he feared Greed would be a bad influence on his child," Roy rested a hand over his eyes, replaying the comical events in his head.

"...What?" Riza blinked, leaning in, "Greed the Homunculus?"

Roy nodded, "Yes. He said Alphonse and his wife Mei would be the godparents of their first child, we would be the godparents of their second child and Greed, Ling and Lan Fan would be the godparents of their third child," he shook his head, exhaling loudly, "I can only imagine how troublesome those Elric kids will be if they are the slightest bit like their parents,"

Riza blinked in amazement, "Wait...you mean to tell me Winry is planning on having _three_ kids? What did Ed say about that?"

Roy snorted in a half laugh, "Are you joking? He was overjoyed, he was behaving like Hughes the first time he found out he would be getting Alicia. I'm more concerned about the thing with being godparents..." Roy rested his head with a 'thump' on the kitchen table, clasping his hands on top of it.

"Dad!" Roy's eyes widened and all air left him when a bundle of energy suddenly tackled him, along with the chair, to the floor. Riza stood up worriedly but started to giggle when she saw both her husband and son were alright.

"Dad! I missed you so much! Why didn't you come home sooner?" Ren Mustang excitedly asked his father, his dark eyes, the same as Roy's, shone in happiness.

Roy was flat on his back, his body vibrating with suppressed chuckles, "Hello to you too, you little troublemaker," Roy sat up and ruffled his son's blonde spiky hair, grinning happily and hugging him tightly.

"D-dad, stop...I-I can't breathe..." Ren tried squirming out of his father's grasp but after a while he sighed and let his dad suffocate him with hugs and kisses.

Riza smiled shaking her head and petting Black Hayate on the head, "I don't think Ed's the only one who's like Hughes..." she giggled, laughing when Ren freed himself from his father's grip and hugged his mother, kissing her cheek lovingly.

* * *

"Wait! WINRY! STOP!" Ed quickly rushed to his wife, sweeping her off her feet when she tried to ascend the stairs.

"E-Edward!" Winry gasped, grabbing on tightly to Ed's neck, "S-stop! Put me down! I can walk fine on my own!" she growled, pouting when Ed speed walked to their bedroom and gently, carefully laid Winry down on their bed.

He straightened up and fixed her with a firm glare, "The doctor said we have to take special care about you since you could give birth any minute! I can't just allow you to walk up the steps, are you crazy?! You could fall! Or you could tire yourself and something will happen to the baby! What if you-"

Winry rolled her eyes and grabbed her husband's shirt collar, pulling him down to her eye level, "Edward, shut up and listen to me!" he promptly shut his mouth closed, Winry sighed, " Listen Ed, the doctor said I shouldn't lift heavy things or strain myself, which I'm not. I'm constantly being pampered by you, it's really sweet that you take care of me like that and try to make sure I'm comfortable and that nothing happens to me or the baby but I won't break if I walk around the house a little,"

She offered her husband a soft smile, caressing his jaw, Ed blinked, sighing heavily and resting his hands gently against her bulging stomach, "I'm sorry Win...it's just...well...I'm just worried you suddenly feel pain and something might happen to the baby, you know? I read that you can feel early pregnancy contractions, or that the baby will be born sooner than it should be, or that you suddenly feel pain but not because of the baby!" Ed protectively cradled Winry, laying next to her on bed, a hand lightly resting on her stomach and the other holding her hand.

Winry's expression softened, "Ed, you don't have to worry so much. Mostly pregnancies happen without many complications if we do things right and besides, you're taking such wonderful care of me that there could nothing go wrong," Winry smiled, rubbing the prominent knuckles on Ed's larger hand.

Ed sighed in relief, burying his nose against her neck and kissing the spot there affectionately. He straightened and rested his chin on top of Winry's head, rubbing her stomach, smiling happily when he felt little movements inside her stomach.

"The baby's kicking," Winry was sure he would explode from happiness.

"Mhm, I can feel it," she giggled, "He feels you're his father, he likes it," Winry sighed happily, enjoying the motions of her husband's hand massaging her bulging stomach.

She opened her eyes when the movements stopped and looked at Ed's stunned face, "W-wait...h-him?" he looked down at Winry.

She grinned sheepishly, "I just have that feeling," Ed shook his head and smiled, kissing her forehead softly.

Winry smiled, cuddling closer to Ed.

* * *

Riza leaned against the doorframe as Roy gently rocked his daughter back and forth, the little baby having fallen asleep fast in her father's arms.

Seeing Roy so carefree and free of worries and duties made Riza unbelievably happy. They both have been through so much, they cherished each day they had with their growing family.

"You are so beautiful my baby girl, just like your mommy. You will be such a cute little girl once you grow up," Roy whispered softly to his daughter, not noticing Riza standing behind him, "But no boys until the age of twenty got that? You tell them your awesome daddy is the Führer and they will all run away," Roy gently nuzzled the side of his daughter's sleeping head, cooing softly.

Riza smiled, not believing how heartwarming and touching the scene before her was, it melted her heart and made her love for him grow only stronger.

Contrary to Roy's worries before Riza gave birth to Ren, he was a great father, the best. He was so doting and careful, she was reminded of Hughes whenever she saw the pictures Roy carried with him of her, Ren and now their little daughter, Liza.

She soundlessly left them, smiling when she heard Roy whisper the words 'I love you' to their daughter and putting her to bed.

 **The end! ^^ So...how is it?**


	37. What is that!

How is everyone! I hope you're doing all well, gihi it's about to get funny! ;)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Panic:** Naw thanks so much! :3 Ed and Winry (unfortunately or not) remind me a lot of me and a friend of mine, we constantly bicker with each-other . Though I can't really say anything about the "Romantic" aspect ^^" Oh right, thanks for the tip! Admittedly, I speed typed and didn't proof read . haha oh come on! As an author, amateur or not, I'm very much inclined to respect your wishes and try to fulfill them to the best of my ability! I have to thank everyone for their support somehow right? ;) (smiles softly) Yeah, I understand, we all have those "rainy days" sometimes, that's why I always try to cheer anyone up who's down :) Thanks for the wishes!

 **Lily:** haha Of course ;) Haha I see, episode 40 something huh? Aw man, I have that urge to spoiler but I won't don't worry ;) I'll just say that you will definitely love it even more, not to mention all the twists and surprises in the next future episodes! :D

 **Emma:** Oh, thank you a lot for telling me :) Good luck with school (oh my god school will start for me too soon .)

 **StariChanx:** Hey there StariChanx, I didn't hear from you in a pretty long time! Lingfan family huh? Will do! :) I don't know why I have that weird feeling like Greed would be the best uncle/dad in the world ^^ haha (scratches head) Eheheh, t-thanks! Sorry, I'm always so awkward when receiving praise, but I'm so very happy! Thank you so much! :) I'm really glad so many people enjoy reading my stories!

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** Meh, what can I say? My head is telling me no..but…MY BODY….MY BODY…is telling me YEEEAAEEESS. XD hahah Sorry, I just thought of the incredibly funny song that goes with that sentence ^^ Oh I love reading those too lol, I will don't worry, I just have to write a few other prompts THEN I'll write that! ;)

 **Pouda-P:** The second one huh? Letters from War, I really enjoy reading such fanfics! Too bad there aren't too many of them :)

 **Enjoyy!**

* * *

 **What is that?!**

Ed blinked, scratching his head at the weird pages that suddenly popped up in the screen, he was just trying to search for other researches about alchemy on the internet, hoping to get into contact with other alchemists and compare researches.

Ed's eyes widened, his face going instantly pink, what. The. _HELL?!_

His lips trembled and he quickly tried to furiously click on the red "X" at the top right corner, then he heard the familiar voice of his wife behind him.

"Hey Ed, did you manage to send Al a message-what in the world are you watching?!" Winry's enraged voice carried over the room as her blue eyes widened to the size of saucers, she shot her husband a very cross look.

 _Finally_ , the stupid pages closed. Oh shit...Winry...

"I-I-I can e-e-explain!" Ed's flailed with his hands, his face a dark pink. He couldn't believe how somebody in this world must really hate him.

Winry growled in anger, "Say Ed, _this_ is what you mean by ' _researching alchemy'_? I can't believe I actually believed it!" Winry rested her hands on her hips, furious that her husband would be watching such...sites...

Ed swallowed hard and stood up, irritated himself, "Now wait a minute! I _was_ researching I swear! They just...they just popped up alright?! Not like I looked or anything! I kept trying to close them but they wouldn't close! I swear Winry!" Ed glared at his wife, not believing that she really thought of him that way.

Winry turned her head, "I expected that from Mustang but from you Ed..." she shook her head, "Men...you don't keep them busy for a while and they immediately have to look at porn..." Winry sighed.

Ed exploded, "Oi! You know I ain't like that! Stop accusing me of things I didn't do! Look! See!? I _wasn't_ searching for _that_ I was searching for works of other alchemists!" Ed sat back down and showed his wife the websites he had really been looking at, Winry narrowed her eyes, scanning the pages briefly before she sighed and straightened again.

Her eyes were closed in thought, then she opened an eye a bit and glared at Ed, Ed pouted like an angry child.

"Alright Ed, I believe you," Winry smiled, giggling now. This whole situation was somewhat funny.

Ed snorted, crossing his arms, "Pf, yeah, now you're laughing. You almost skewered me alive back there," Winry rolled her eyes and leaned down, kissing Ed's cheek and hugging him from behind.

"Oh come on, how would you have reacted if you saw me looking at such things? I think you would have felt a bit hurt huh?" Winry tried to reason with her overly stubborn husband, trying to make him understand her too.

Ed sighed, leaning his head back to nuzzle her chin with his nose," Yeah, yeah, I get it. Still, I can't believe how you could think that, you know I love you and I love the...well...yeah, you know," Ed blushed, rolling his eyes in embarrassment.

Winry laughed, "Yeah I know you do, don't think I don't feel that in the morning when we are spooning Ed," Winry smirked when her husband stiffened and snorted.

"Hey...you know that's natural right? I can't do a thing about it, every guy gets that in the morning," he tried to defend himself but Winry just smiled like a kitten and giggled.

"Mhm," they both suddenly heard a short beep and both looked at the screen of their computer.

"Huh? What's that? Again those websites?" Ed narrowed his eyes, ready for a fight.

Winry tilted her head, reading the title, "No...it's...wait what is that?"

Ed leaned in closer, "Fan...fiction?" he blinked, "What's that?"

Winry shook her head, "I don't know, let's look," Ed warily clicked on the blue letters ' _'_

A different page opened, Ed and Winry read the small list that greeted them, " _Movies, Animes, TV Series, Books...etc._ Let's look under 'Animes' I remember Hohen saying something about it,"

Ed clicked the 'Anime' section and immediately a very long list of weird names opened, Ed scrolled down while Winry rapidly read the names, " _'Soul Eater'_ oh my god Ed! Something is eating souls in there! Do you think Hohen watches such weird movies?" Now Winry was worried, 'Soul Eater' didn't really sound like something appropriate for her young son.

Ed frowned, "Let's see... ' _Final Fantasy VII'_ huh...ok... ' _Fairy Tail'_ weird...I didn't know fairies have tails..." Ed rose an eyebrow.

"Do fairies even exist?" Winry asked perplexed, her husband shrugged and scrolled down.

Ed froze, "H-Hey Win... what the..." Ed moved the mouse over to a anime called ' _Fullmetal Alchemist'_ , "Why am I in here?"

Winry's eyes widened, "Woah...you never told me you have your own website Ed," she looked down at him in bewilderment.

Ed snapped, "Not like I knew it myself! Hmm...let's take a look, I hope they wrote something good about me in there," Ed grinned, clicking on the button.

Both adults didn't expect however to be greeted by more names...names of _stories_...

"Uhh..." Ed's jaw hung slack as his golden eyes scanned over the various titles, he scanned every little thing, "Words, Tags...wait tags?"

" _Roy M., Edward E._? _Romance_?!" Winry glared at her husband, "Ed, do you want to tell me something?"

"H-hey! Not like I wrote those stories! Calm down would ya? Why would I have something with _Mustang_ of all weird people?!" Ed hollered in anger and embarrassment, scrolling furiously down.

" _Edward E., Winry R._? Ohh, click on that Ed click on that!" Winry giggled in excitement, there was a story about them in there too? Wow...

Ed smiled and clicked on the story, both parents read through it and had to laugh and smile, "Aw, that's so cute! I like our story!" Winry grinned as Ed chuckled and moved the page back, going to the second page.

"Oh look! Here is another story about us, the rating here is "M"...what's that rating for?" Winry blinked.

Ed rubbed his chin, "Hmm...don't know, maybe for 'many people'? How many people like it? Does that make sense?" Winry shrugged, urging Edward to click on the story.

Ed did and when they started reading both froze.

"O-oh...ah..." Winry's eyes were the size of dinner plates, "Umm...E-Ed..."

Ed meanwhile was frozen in his seat, his finger almost automatically scrolling further down and down and do-

"OWW!" that _blasted_ wrench!, "STOP HITTING ME WOMAN!"

"YOU STOP READING THAT!" Winry's face was as red as a tomato, holding her wrench in her hand threateningly.

Ed rubbed his head with a frown, "Hey, we are in it right? Might as well see what this author wrote about us..." Winry couldn't believe she was actually reading it.

It was very...descriptive...

"Oh wow...you like t-that?" Ed's face was burning, he briefly looked at his distracted wife.

"N-no...I mean...w-we...well...w-we never tried t-that..." Winry blushed, biting her lips, "Hey, I didn't know you could do that..." Winry tilted her head, as if visualizing the steamy scene before her.

Ed blushed and mumbled something under his breath, "I didn't know that too..."

"That sounds interesting! Let's try that!" Winry looked excited now.

Ed whipped his head too fast around to look at his wife, "Wait, what?!" Winry tugged at his arm but Ed vehemently fought back, practically hugging his chair tightly.

"Mom, dad what's wrong?" 8-year old Hohen suddenly came into the room, his little sister Sarah trailing behind him with a stuffed dog in her hands.

Winry and Edward froze, robotically turning their heads to look at their children.

"K-kids!" Ed practically threw himself over the screen, rapidly clicking on the red "X" button to close the damned page.

Winry ran towards them and immediately picked them up, running down towards the kitchen, Hohen looked over her shoulder at his panicked father, "Mom, why is dad so red?"

Winry herself was as red as a tomato, hiding her face against Hohen's back so her son and daughter didn't see it.

Ed remained motionless for a moment, before he sighed loudly and slumped heavily to the floor, sliding off his desk and slapping a hand to his head, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.

"Next time I'll close the damn door..."

* * *

"Ohhhh baby! Come on Lan Fan look at this one! I like the brat that wrote this!" Greed grinned wickedly, reading a story about him and Lan Fan a rather very...intimate one.

Ling was grinning like a cat beside him, "Oh look! I'm in there too Greed!" Ling's eyes were open in amazement, pushing Greed away from the chair so he could read the story for himself.

"Hey! Make room you fucking piss-ant! We are sharing Lan Fan in the story so you better share the seat with me!" Greed growled and pushed Ling flat off his stool, grinning when he continued to read the story. Lan Fan could only hide in her room with a crazily blushing face.

"Greed...I think Lan Fan doesn't want to read this...but she sure didn't sound embarrassed in that story..." Ling chuckled, a cat-like smile on his face.

 **Bonus scene:**

"Oh my god..." Ling sniffed, taking the tissue Greed offered him and wiping away his tears that kept coming, "This is so sad, so cruel...how could the author be so cruel...why did he have to rewrite Fu's death?!"

Ling leaned over and sobbed hard on Greed's shoulder, who was trying hard not to cry.

His lips were trembling, tears already rolling down his cheeks, "Old man Fu...why...WHY?!" Greed punched the computer and threw it off the desk, holding one hand against his face to try and stop his tears while punching Ling away from himself and instead hugging the equally sobbing Lan Fan, crying into her shoulder and bawling like a baby.

 **Hmm...I'm not too please with it myself but I think it's alright-ish...^^"**


	38. The Emperor's Clothes &

Hi everyone! I'm back...again...damn I keep coming back lol

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **StariChanx:** (sniffs and tries not to cry) *Sniff* *sniff* T-thanks so much…T_T (starts crying and hugging a stunned Greed) Oh god I love you and all the other readers! I always thought I was never any good and that I never had any damn talent but you guys made me so happy with your comments! (takes deep breath but still strangles a stunned Greed) Right…sorry…a girl's gotta cry some time too..Kudos to you StariChanx!

 **Jadasimone16:** (shivers) Ohh meh…I don't know ^ ^ I would feel awkward myself writing his reactions even if they were joking eheh..

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** Thank god you think the same! *.* I mean I'm open and understanding to people who ship anime characters with each-other who aren't cannon, or not even meant to be together. BUT I draw the line with Ed & Roy ^^ I don't know, many people like the crack ship but I never saw the logic there :P (I really hope I won't get death threats after this comment lol XD)

 **NOTE : I know this chapter is short but there will be a second part!**

* * *

 **The Emperor's Clothes & A Homunculus' Thoughts**

"Greed! Stop! What the hell are you doing?!" Ling tried hard to hold onto Greed's soul with all his strength.

"Hey Ling, stop alright? Everything's gonna be fine pal, just let me go and let me kick my old man's ass!" Greed grinned but Ling shook his head violently.

"Stop it Greed! This won't work!" Ling didn't let go, he didn't plan to.

Father's hand was covered in Greed's ultimate shield, in the weakest form of it anyway; graphite. Greed closed his eyes, briefly lost in memory.

"Listen you idiot prince, if I don't do something the crazy bastard will succeed with his plan! Now let. Me. Go!" Greed attempted to punch him but much to his surprise, Ling actually managed to evade it and instead shoved Greed's soul behind him, diving instead straight to the passage where Father was trying to extract Greed's soul.

Father breathed in sharply, wobbly trying to compose himself when he felt that something wasn't quite right.

Ling's voice carried over the commotion clearly, "Lan Fan!" the skilled bellatrix cut straight into Father's arm, the one covered in graphite, and severed the connection between him and Ling.

Lan Fan looked at her Lord, but to her surprise Greed was staring back at her, "My Lord...wait, why are you-My Lord!" Lan Fan's eyes widened in realization and horror, she immediately tried to dive for Father, who had shoved his hand down his own throat in order to see why his plan hadn't worked.

"Hey! Stop!" Greed immediately wrapped his arms around Lan Fan, covering himself protectively in his shield when Lan Fan, in her desperation, tried to cut him with her automail blade.

"No! _My Lord_!" Lan Fan cried, trying to push Greed away but it was no use, he was too strong.

"Wait, Ling? Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Ed blinked, noticing that, instead of Greed's red and black soul, it was Ling's white and black one he was pulling out, his suspicions were confirmed when the soul spoke.

"Sorry about that Greed! I guess I broke my promise didn't I?" Ling could feel himself getting weaker, why he didn't know.

"What the hell are you yappin' about?! Fight it you damn piss-ant! Come on!" Greed growled and kicked Father in the stomach, "Come on old man, spit him out!"

Father fell heavily to the ground and finally managed to rip the soul out of his body.

"GOD DAMN IT LING!" Greed shouted, watching in agony as his best friend's soul slowly started to dissipate.

"I'm sorry Greed, Lan Fan, Ed," Ling's soul said, sounding weaker than it was, "I guess it didn't work out as good as I hoped it would,"

Greed was enraged, "THE FUCK DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING YOU IDIOT PRINCE?! COME BACK HERE! YOUR BODY'S WAITING FOR YOU!" he hollered at the top of his lungs, running as fast as he could in the direction the soul was going but it was far too high up, there was no way Greed could reach it even if he tried.

"I'm sorry Greed, I didn't really picture leading Xing like this..." Ling turned serious, "Greed, promise me something,"

"Shut the hell up you flying fart! Stay still so that I can grab you and beat you up!" Greed didn't want to believe this, this...couldn't be happening. It was supposed to be impossible!

 _Greed_ was supposed to be the one to do this, _not_ Ling!

"Greed!" Ling's firm, serious voice made Greed stop and freeze in his tracks, Ling sighed with a heavy heart, "Listen buddy, I won't be coming back, I need someone to rule over Xing alright? I know you can do it Greed, besides," Ling looked like he was smiling almost happily, "You always said you wanted to rule the world right? Why not start with leading a country?"

Greed's body shook, violet eyes moistening, "No...you can't be serious...Ling.." Greed watched helplessly how Ling grinned at his friends one last time before his soul was gone.

Greed didn't even register the battle going on around him, didn't register the little girl Mei running toward him and shaking him, didn't register Lan Fan trying to talk to him, nothing.

It was only when the battle ended that Greed came out of his shock.

" _What the-? Ling! Hey Ling! ANSWER ME YOU STUPID PRINCE!"_ Greed found himself in his own mind, looking around frantically for the Xingese prince, but he couldn't find him, couldn't see him, couldn't _sense_ him anymore.

No...this...it couldn't...

 _"_ _Ling god damn it this ain't funny anymore! You hear me?! This ain't funny anymore! LING!"_ Greed growled, looking around everywhere, he was wrong. Ling wasn't gone, it was impossible, it was...

...It...it was...

Greed gripped his head, Lan Fan worriedly kneeled next to him, trying to gather herself, she never saw the Homunculus so emotionally out of control. Her Lord, her friend, her...he was gone...

Lan Fan could only stand motionlessly, in shock herself, as the Homunculus in her Lord's body started to shout in agony, shouting for Ling, cursing him, punching the ground, slamming his head against it...

Greed suddenly felt a hard punch to his face and he landed hard on the ground on his back, when Greed straightened to look what hit him, he saw Edward, his arm restored, the other Elric runt covered in a robe and standing a few feet away with a troubled expression on his face.

"Greed..." Ed clenched his fist, grabbing Greed's shirt collar and pulling him to his furious, hurt gold eyes, "Stop whining! Ling didn't sacrifice himself for you to weep like some kid! He sacrificed himself to help us defeat that bearded bastard and to ensure his country's future! Pull yourself together Greed!"

Greed momentarily didn't know what to say, but then his anger and agony flared, "You stupid brat!" this time he punched Ed, shouting furiously, "You don't understand anything do you?! It was supposed to be me! It was supposed to be me god damn it! _I_ was supposed to let the old man consume me and weaken him from the inside, not Ling! The stupid idiot just...he just..." Greed shook, gritting his sharp teeth together.

Ed looked how broken Greed truly was, his expression softened when the Homunculus released a suppressed sob and fell to his knees, sobbing hard and screaming.

Ed slowly shuffled closer to the grieving Homunculus, placing a comforting hand on his shaking shoulder.

He didn't say anything, because he knew Greed was in his own dark, lonely world.

Without Ling there, it was lonely inside his own head, inside Ling's body...

There may be a thousand souls inside of him but...if that one special soul was missing...

Everything seemed different.

Greed closed his eyes, and cried.

 **How did you like it so far? Don't worry, there WILL be a part two of this, a continuation if you will! With Greed's and Lan Fan's thoughts...etc.**


	39. The Emperor's Clothes & Part 2

Drums pleaseee! Here's the second part to " ** _A Emperor's Clothes & A Homunculus' Thoughts"!_**

 ** _ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:_**

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** haha Really? Yeah me too, meh…I wished they didn't kill Greed off .

 **Cassey:** What can I say….I sometimes love to make people suffer (shrugs) (sniffs) oh Ling…why did you have to die in my story?! (sobs)

 **Panic:** haha Course I wrote it! Any ideas you people write here I count them as requests and I write them! :3 (gets embarrassed and coughs) Ahem…naww t-thanks! (grins) I hate it when I get embarrassed whenever someone compliments me damn it ." But thanks! :D

 **BTW:** Check out the chapter with **Ideas for Chapters** and tell me what you think! I'm updating it REGULARLY! Thanks! ;) (waves)

 ** _Enjoooyy! ;)_**

 **The Emperor's Clothes & A Homunculus' Thoughts Part 2**

A day passed after the final battle with Father, Alphonse was in the hospital, getting various infusions and "artificial liquid food" as Ed called it with a shake of his head.

Ed frowned, "So, you're going back huh?" he had a very bad feeling about this, "Why don't you stay a little? It's been a tough fight, you should rest, the journey back is pretty long," two full days if they sleep outside to be exact.

Greed shook his head, "I've got things to do back at Xing, we still need to...bury Fu," Ed's eyes widened a fraction, his heart tightened with guilt. He had never heard Greed call the deceased ninja by his real name before, another sign that the Homunculus was in a horrible condition.

Ed cleared his throat, "Are you sure? You, Lan Fan and Mei are injured," he eyed said woman in question, raising an eyebrow at Lan Fan's automail hand," You should let Winry take a look at it, I can see from here it's no use in a fight," Ed fixed Lan Fan with a firm gaze.

Greed glanced back at his companion, "You didn't say anything about that,"

"I'm fine," was Lan Fan's simple reply, but in the next moment, Greed's shield covered arm suddenly swung back in a fist, hitting and shattering Lan Fan's automail which she brought up in a reflexive defensive motion. Bolts, screws and wires flew everywhere.

Greed narrowed his eyes, "We are staying as long as it takes for Lan Fan to recover," Greed nodded to Edward, going inside Al's room to inform Mei of the change of plans.

Ed shut the door closed behind him quietly, crossing his arms, "Don't give me that glare, it wasn't me that shattered your automail, though I can't say I blame him. He's just worried about you, you know?" Ed tried to reason with the mourning woman, but he knew it would be a lot harder than this.

However, he didn't expect her sudden outburst of anger, "Silence! That Homunculus is at fault that my Lord is gone!" there were unshed tears in Lan Fan's eyes, "Don't dare to say that...that blasphemy has _feelings_! It was him that killed my Lord!" Lan Fan vanished within the blink of an eye.

Ed, still stunned over the sudden emotional outburst of the normally stoic woman, faltered, "H-hey wait! Lan Fan!" Ed clenched his fist, sighing heavily.

He shouldn't have said anything, he himself was still hung up over the fact that that goofy idiot Ling was...that he was actually gone. A wave of sadness overwhelmed Ed, but he swallowed it down. It wasn't what Ling would have wanted, he knew, now was the time to be there for the living, his brother, Winry, Greed...everyone.

Ed looked at the closed door to his brother's hospital room, there was no way Greed _didn't_ hear that. He braced himself and slowly opened the door.

Gold eyes widened in shock, "Huh? What the-?! Where the hell is he?!" he blinked rapidly, looking everywhere in the room and at Mei's sad expression and his brother's unconscious form.

"He left after he heard Lan Fan run away..." Mei offered as in way of explanation, still holding Alphonse's bony hand in her grasp.

Ed sighed heavily, taking a seat beside Mei at his brother's bed, lifting his bandaged arm to run a hand through his hair, "Let's just hope they settle things peacefully,"

He exhaled loudly, knowing that nothing _could_ end up peaceful between those two.

* * *

Lan Fan had hidden behind one of the still standing crumbled walls in the middle of the battlefield, the wall had taken quite a beating, but it was sturdy enough not to crumble, for the moment, it shielded Lan Fan from the outside world, from the harsh reality she knew she had to accept.

Her Lord, Ling Yao, was gone.

Her grandfather was gone.

She was now alone. With no one to turn to for guidance, no one to protect, no one to rely on...

She sobbed, her automail arm hanging limply by her side, hot salty tears soaking the material of her pants and sleeves as she quietly grieved for the dead.

"I thought you might be here," a deep, familiar voice penetrated the air, slicing through Lan Fan's dark thoughts like hot metal through flesh.

She tensed.

"Leave, Homunculus," Lan Fan cursed herself, her voice was shaky, wound up with emotion, she didn't need this now, she didn't _him_ to be here right now.

She didn't need to look long, he was leaning against the wall opposite of her, his arms crossed, a unreadable expression on his face.

She averted her gaze, it wasn't his face...it was _his_ face. The face of the young Lord...she squeezed her eyes shut.

She swung with her fist when she heard movement to her right flank, but Greed caught her fist in his hand, Ling's human hand, and their eyes met.

Teary brown met unrelenting wine.

That was when Lan Fan broke down.

She didn't care anymore that Greed was watching, she let her tears fall, let her screams be heard by whoever listened, let her agony out. Everything.

She had no one anymore. She was alone now, doomed to wither away like all the ones who carried marks of war and death and carried the scars of their sins with them.

A heavy, warm hand was on her back, the other was on her head, pulling her into a strong, sturdy chest. Lan Fan froze, the tears still falling, her breathing uneven, her nose running, her vision blurry...

She felt the beating heart beneath her ear, felt the sobs and shivers wracking the body holding her in its embrace, heard Greed's soft voice in her ear, "You're not alone, I know you hate my guts and want me dead but...I'm here," those words shocked her, her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat.

 _I'm here..._

 _I'm sorry Lan Fan..._

 _I'm here..._

Greed grit his teeth, tightening his embrace, "The stupid prince wasn't supposed to die...it was me. I wanted to weaken the bastard and die instead, I never meant for him to..." Greed swallowed down his sobs, feeling his body wracked with spasms he couldn't control.

The souls in his body were at unease, his own was restless, lost, drowned in agony.

Ling's wasn't there, the ever presence of that one soul that was bathed in light and freckles of darkness...it disappeared...and suddenly, it felt so lonely to be in this body, in Ling's body, inside his own head...

Greed's eyes widened when he felt Lan Fan wrap her good arm around him, burying her face against his chest, sobbing.

"Lan Fan-"

He was cut off, "If that was what he wanted, then he wouldn't want us crying for his sacrifice...my Lord isn't like that," Lan Fan bit her lips hard, seeking comfort in the warmth Greed provided and the cocoon-like shield he made with his arms and body around her, creating a barrier between them and the world outside.

Greed paused and rested his forehead against the crown of her head, "Yeah...he isn't like that..." Greed repositioned himself, spreading his legs and hugging Lan Fan in between them, wanting to protect her from all and everything that was evil. Maybe even from himself.

"I'm sorry...I never meant for any of this to happen...I'm sorry Lan Fan," Greed whispered quietly, afraid the trance they were in now would break and she would continue to resent him and be wary of him like she had till now.

The woman in his arms shook, fisting the black material of Greed's shirt tightly in her hand, before she ripped herself away from him to look at him in the eyes.

This was Greed, it wasn't the face of her Lord anymore, but that of the Homunculus when he would take control over her master...she strengthened her resolve, "I'm sorry...I...I never should have said the things I did back in the hospital...I'm sure you heard," she lowered her gaze in shame.

Greed's gaze fixed on the ground, a sad truth in his eyes and a small, sarcastic smile on his face, "Hm...yeah, the walls were thin. But...you were right. Homunculi don't have feelings...and I'm responsible for Ling's death..." Greed's fist was white and shaking, until Lan Fan placed her hand on it and slowly, gently opened it, frowning at the red welts made from his nails biting into his skin.

"It was a mistake," Lan Fan gazed into his surprised eyes, "I misjudged you from the beginning. You never wanted world domination, did you? All you wanted were people you could rely on, protect, love...you wanted the family you never had yourself," Lan Fan smiled in understanding.

She finally figured the Homunculus out, after putting all the pieces together...he never was truly evil, Lan Fan realized why Ling and Fu had trusted and cared about him, he wasn't a bad man.

Greed grunted, looking away from Lan Fan, "I'm...sorry about your arm," Greed couldn't bring himself to look at her.

Lan Fan reached over to cup his chin in her hand, turning his face toward her, "It's alright, I deserved it." She paused briefly, thinking, "Will you...accept his offer?"

Greed frowned, realizing what Lan Fan was saying, Ling's offer to lead Xing...

"I don't know how to lead a country..." he admitted with a dark frown.

"Neither do I," Lan Fan admitted with a softer expression, "But neither did the previous Emperor's in the beginning. If grandfather were here I'm sure he would be of more help..."

Greed 'tsked' finally turning his head back to look at her with a smile, "We really are wrecks aren't we?" he shook his head.

Lan Fan could only agree.

"G-Greed?" Lan Fan gasped soundlessly when he reached for her and hugged her to him again, pulling his legs closer as well.

She relaxed against him, feeling the tremors overtaking his body as she hugged him. Both adults reveled in the warmth and comfort they gave one another.

In the memory of the dead.

* * *

 _A few months later..._

After Fu and Ling's funeral, Greed had taken it upon himself to accept the crown and rule over Xing. Many people had noticed something was different with their prince and soon, Greed revealed his real identity and told in short what had transpired in Amestris.

Many were at first against Greed ruling but when they say how the Homunculus helped and actually mingled with the common folk and wasn't what rumors depicted him to be; a evil creature, he willingly accepted his coronation and led Xing as Ling would have wanted to.

The first thing he did was annul the concubine system of Xing, it took him many months but at long last, with a bit of persuasion on both Greed's and Lan Fan's part, the council agreed and terminated the old tradition.

Greed made the slums be rebuilt, helped children who had no home get a family, a better family that he himself never had. To the surprise of many, including Lan Fan, Greed was very good with kids, as when he had time he would visit the places where the slums used to be and play with the kids. He let new schools and hospitals be built and a number of laws be enforced.

Like the monogamy marriage, he called off the ridiculous restriction of families only allowed to have one child and to nearly everyone's shock, at his own wishes, that brothel's were to be banned and that women and men had more educational options to choose from, not that women who had little financial goods to be forced to work there.

Greed was a better ruler than Lan Fan had hoped at the beginning and she wondered at times if Ling was proudly watching him.

* * *

"My Lord," Lan Fan called from the back entrance to the throne room, observing how Greed was looking up at the sky in thought.

Greed sighed, "Yeah, I'm coming," Greed remained staring at the sky for another moment, before he tore his gaze away and turned around.

He caught Lan Fan's eyes and smiled, Lan Fan's expression softened and she smiled back. Greed took one last look at the sky, bidding his friend goodbye with a wave of his hand before he returned to his duties as Emperor of Xing.

Too bad I'm not good at making AMV's (alright truth be told I never tried :P) but I could imagine the last scene would fit to the song **"Promise of a Lifetime" by Kutless at the end.** (sniff) Oh god that was sad...the feels...I had to listen to so many sad songs to write this...T_T


	40. Uncle Greed to the Rescue!

Thank you all so much for supporting me and reading my one shots! :) I'm really glad that I can make people happy (or cry lol) with my stories :D

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Bob:** Hmm…I don't know but I could try it :)

 **Anonymous J:** Hey there! Aw, school huh? Good luck with that, I know you can do it! Lol XD haha sure thing I can let me just write this tiny little one shot which I just HAD to write before writing anything else! :3

 **Panic:** Thanks Panic! Haha Of course! I'm really sorry that I forgot about your prompt . :/ Honestly, I can't believe I forgot! . I hate it when I forget someone's cool idea (sighs and shakes head)

 **I hope you like this one, I think this will be my personal favorite! ;) BTW: If you guys get annoyed about me writing more Greed one shots feel free to tell me!**

* * *

 **Uncle Greed to the Rescue!**

It had originally been a peaceful day...or as peaceful as it could get when they all gathered together for barbecue.

Roy was having a very...interesting _dispute_ with the grill, glaring at it intensely and waving his hand in front of it as if threatening to burn it alive should it not obey his demands and make some delicious barbecue.

For some odd reason, such large gatherings with all their friends were almost always either happening at the Elric's home or at Xing in Ling's palace. Probably because at the Elric's they had a lot more room and grass so the kids could play outside and to enjoy a nice barbecue and eat outdoors as well.

"Daddy! What are you doing with the grill?" Liza Mustang asked with a finger on her bottom lip, looking questionably at her father who looked like he would burn the whole grill to ashes.

"Oh nothing there sweetheart, I was just...getting it ready to work," Roy grinned, ruffling his daughter's hair, "Now go and play with the others, daddy needs to use his alchemy to make things right again," Liza just shook her head at her father's antics and decided to run inside the house to see what her mother and the rest were doing.

In the kitchen, Winry, Mei, Lan Fan, Riza and Al were seasoning the meat and getting it ready for the grill as well as cooking simple but delicious side dishes for the large group.

"Oh um...my apologies I'm not very adept at cooking," Lan Fan awkwardly tried to stir the cooking vegetables, looking very much out of place in the kitchen, her combat outfit resting only a few feet away on a chair.

Winry shook her head, smiling in understanding, "It's alright Lan Fan, at the beginning I wasn't very adept at it too but I got the hang of it eventually, here let me help you," Lan Fan couldn't help but smile back pleasantly, grateful for the help, "And besides, I thought I told you to lay down and rest, Lan Fan, you're in your sixth month, you should be careful," Winry scolded the ninja woman softly, gesturing to her bulging stomach.

Lan Fan sighed and petted the swell of her tummy, "I know but I can't rest all day, I've never rested that long in my life,"

"Well, it's time you do!" Winry rested her hands on her hips, Lan Fan smiled gratefully.

"So, Winry, I heard you and Edward are already thinking of another child?" it was Riza who asked as she peeled the potatoes, a very teasing smile on her face. Al adopted a very smug grin, poking Winry in the stomach playfully. Winry shot him a glare from hell.

And she flushed, "U-umm, w-well, let's not exaggerate I mean...it was his idea!" Winry argued feverishly, crossing her arms with a pout. Mei laughed delightfully, finding the prospect of another child amusing.

"You know how brother is," Al smiled, putting the meat sticks into a separate plastic container with foil so they could carry it outside to the grill better.

"Lan Fan, this will be your third child, man Ling sure feels bored in his castle doesn't he?" Winry grinned teasingly, she loved teasing the shy woman to bits.

Lan Fan's face took on a shade of tomato or cherry, she immediately hid her face," U-um, well, we both d-decided t-that another child m-may not be so bad t-to have," Riza shook her head, smiling. She was glad Lan Fan had moved on and overcome her trauma of losing her arm and grandfather, everything seemed alright now.

"Anyway, Mei...do tell, what about you and Al? Any more kids on the horizon?" Winry nudged Mei in the ribs, grinning almost devilishly at her and a blushing Alphonse.

This time Mei turned a light pink, a dreamy look on her face, "Oh of course! I've told Alphonse so many times that I'd love to have more children but he's so shy!" she sighed heavily and all the women except Lan Fan nodded vigorously in agreement. Al sweat dropped heavily, backing away slowly.

"H-hey umm...well-" he was abruptly cut off.

"I had that feeling too when I first met him, he seemed like a very nice but shy boy back then. I suppose he still is even in adulthood," Riza giggled as if Al weren't in the same room as them.

Winry placed a hand to her cheek in exasperation, "I really ask myself sometimes how in the world you managed to make kids without Al behaving like a blushing bride," Lan Fan smiled at Winry's words, shaking her head at her friends.

Al's eyes widened, "Now wait a minute-!"

"I ask myself that sometimes too...though Alphonse was so sweet and gentle! How I love that man! I still can't believe he occasionally _blushes_ when I kiss him in public!" Mei gushed happily, cupping her cheeks and swinging her hips in delight. She then grabbed onto Al's arm and moved onto her tip toes, kissing his cheek sweetly.

Al's face turned a light pink, smiling in embarrassment at his wife and the other women in the room. He was _still there_! _WHY_ were they behaving like he wasn't literally standing a few centimeters away from them!?

All the women in the room burst into chuckles and giggles, all thinking the same thing: poor Al.

"So Riza, what do you think will Ren and Liza want to do in the future? Would they enlist in the military or become alchemists?" Winry rose an eyebrow, curious to know what the children of people she held so high would become.

Al gave up the fight, mumbling something under his breath as he moved outside to carry the prepared meat out to be grilled.

Riza smiled, "To be honest, I don't know. I did notice though that Ren seemed quite intrigued by Roy's flame alchemy, perhaps he would be a future alchemist in time. As for Liza, I'm really not sure, they are still very young, they get fascinated by so many things easily. It's too soon to tell but I hope they will become what they will want to be in the end," that was enough of a answer for Winry.

"What about you Winry? Isn't it even more difficult for you guys to find out?" Mei asked with a curious albeit wicked smile.

Winry snorted, crossing her arms, "Hah! Ed tries to animate both of them about alchemy, that jerk! Though I think Hohen really likes automail! I hope he decides to become a mechanic but then again, as long as they are happy, I don't really care what they will be," Winry smiled warmly, then she coughed into her hand, "I do hope both don't become alchemy freaks,"

A sudden shiver ran down Ed's spine and he looked at the entrance of his house with a suspicious glare.

"Huh? What's wrong Ed?" Ling asked, helping Ed carry the wooden bench over nearer the grill.

The golden haired man shrugged it off, "It's nothing, must be my imagination," Ed said that far too slowly for Ling's taste, but the man let it slide as Ed and him slowly deposited the bench down on the ground.

Ling smiled brightly, "Maybe you're getting senile?" he snickered and Ed just shot him a venomous glare.

"Oi, you're just a month younger than me _Emperor_ ," Ed stressed the last word, snorting in amusement when Greed popped up seemingly out of nowhere.

"Did someone just call me?" he grinned, pointing at himself.

The next thing that happened looked almost like a chain reaction.

All the children; Liza, Ren, Sarah, Hohen, Alice (Al & Mei's daughter) as well as Kiba and Nanami (Ling & Lan Fan's kids) all ran, or crawled, towards Greed.

Sarah and Hohen were the first ones to lung at the Homunculus, "Uncle Greed!" Greed fell to the floor like a leaf, a very big, very heavy leaf.

Next were Liza and Ren, jumping on Greed's stomach, making him almost keel over. Alice was playing with his hair, trying to make what looked like braids. Then Kiba and Nanami came crawling on their little toddler hands and knees towards him.

"Unca...Gweed...Gweed," Nanami mumbled, laughing happily when Greed sat up and picked her up, nuzzling his nose with hers.

"Hey there kids, missed your awesome uncle Gweed?" he grinned widely, hugging all the children to him and laughing.

Ed frowned in mild jealousy, "You're their _only_ uncle, _Gweed_ ,"

The Homunculus ignored him, laying back on the grass and enjoying the extra weight on him, he chuckled and gently pinched Sarah's cheeks, "Naw, look at you sweetheart, already taller than your old man when he was older than you!" Greed laughed when Sarah blushed and giggled.

Ed growled in anger, "Hey Ling... _why_ did you let Greed come here without a leash and a muzzle?" his eye twitched.

Ling chuckled nervously, "Eheh...sorry Ed, Lan Fan said he would play nice," Ed sighed, not really minding having Greed over, in fact he always helped out and played with the kids, even if he was a pain in the ass at times.

Greed grinned and laughed, playing with the kids, letting them hug and jump on him to their hearts content.

"Oh look, looks like Greed came over too, I was wondering when he would come," Winry looked out the window, smiling when she saw the kids bombarding the poor Homunculus.

Riza smiled too, "For a Homunculus, he is very good with kids. Ren and Liza are very fond of him," Mei nodded vigorously.

"Mhm! Alice too! I can't believe how careful and gentle he can be! He's such a softie!" Mei grinned widely.

Lan Fan wrapped her arms around herself contently, watching Greed play with Nanami and Kiba, "The only one who wasn't surprised at first was Ling. I suppose sharing your mind and body allows one to know the other's secret emotions better. I confess, at first I wasn't sure if Greed even liked kids," Lan Fan giggled behind her hand, shaking her head.

"None of us were, Lan Fan. But then when I say how he tucked Sarah and Hohen into bed when Ed and I fell asleep in the living room...and Ed tried to kill him for it...naww that was so sweet!" Winry smiled happily, "And did you hear how Sarah and the little ones call him? Uncle _Gweed_!" Mei and Winry laughed, Riza and Lan Fan giggled more composed.

* * *

 **Added:**

"What do you think why didn't Greed settle down yet?" Mei suddenly asked, rubbing her chin in genuine thought.

Winry blinked, thinking, "Hmm...that's a good question... He's really good with kids, if he wouldn't open his mouth here and there and utter gibberish then he would be really nice to talk to, he's not that bad to look at too..." Winry opened an eye, immediately spotting Riza smirking at her.

"What?" Winry blinked in confusion.

"Oh nothing. I didn't know you were so fond of Greed," the sharpshooter smirked slyly. Mei almost fainted.

"Ohhhhh Winrryyy, sooo Greed huh?" Mei brutally nudged Winry's ribs, smirking widely.

"Knock it off you guys! I love Ed alright? I'm just stating facts! As if you don't think the same! And Lan Fan what about you? He lives in the same house with you and Ling for...Truth's sake!" Winry crossed her arms, blushing and pouting.

Lan Fan blushed,"W-well..."

Mei mused;" Oh right! Lan Fan has the best opportunity to analyse Greed! Especially since she must see him naked often..." Mei didn't notice the startled pregnant woman beside her.

"W-what?! H-how-" Lan Fan was cut off.

"Yes...that is logical. Sharing the same living quarters and everything, I assume Lan Fan does see Greed exposed after he's done bathing..." Riza suddenly wondered out loud, shocking Lan Fan even more.

"Guys..." Winry raised her hands, a embarrassed blush on her face, "We...we are imagining what _Greed_ looks like _naked_."

All the women paled almost at the same time, then they all turned tomato faced in a milisecond.

"I-I-I-I ALPHONSEEE MY LOVELY ALPHONSEE I ONLY LOVE YOU!" Mei covered her face, shocked at her own thoughts.

Winry sighed.

Another shiver ran down Ed's spine suddenly, more violent than the other one. He looked at his male friends, "Did you guys feel that too? I'm not imagining things am I?!" Ed scratched his back, glaring again at his house suspiciously.

Greed scratched his chin, "I felt that too...weird..." he shrugged.

"What do you think what they are talking about brother?" Al asked, half afraid of the answer.

"Beats me, but I think we will live longer if we don't find out Al," Ed muttered, choosing to ignore the shivers racing up and down his spine.

* * *

Then it happened.

Bandits.

Out of fucking nowhere.

"What the-?" Ed narrowed his eyes, "Ling! Take the kids inside the house! Now!" Ed moved into a defensive position Izumi taught him long ago, eyeing the rather large group of bandits around him.

"So, what's a group of thugs like you doing here crashing a family dinner huh?" Ed frowned, he saw Greed, Al and Roy back him up.

"The Fullmetal and the Flame Alchemist, oh and that Homunculus guy. Today's our lucky day ain't it?" a bandit said, laughing, though the rest of his companions suddenly looked pale.

"W-w-wait! T-the Flame Alchemist?! Oh shit! That's suicidal man! I ain't messing with him! And he's married to that crazy sharpshooter expert! She will kill us all with a single gunshot if we touch their kids!" a friend of the bandit said frantically, his katana quivering in his hands.

Roy's eyes narrowed, "Kids? _What_ are you planning on doing with our kids?" sparks formed on his ignition gloves threateningly.

The leader, or at least what the group assumed as leader, spoke up, taking a confident step forward, "What better way to have the most powerful people in our grasp than by taking their kids hostage?" he made a fist with his hand slowly, aiming it at Ed and the rest.

Roy shouted out in surprise.

"Mustang!" Ed shouted, quickly whirling around to see what had surprised the seasoned fighter so much.

It was...

Water.

The Führer was wet...

Hell no.

"What the-?!" Ed's eyes widened when a large tidal wave out of nowhere suddenly bombarded him and Mustang, slamming them against the trunk of a tree hard.

"Ow!" Ed and Roy shouted out simultaneously, trying to escape the strong currents but the water stream was too strong.

"So, you're an alchemist huh?" Greed's shield was already up when he said this, Ling and him managed to dodge the large waves of water in time.

The bandit that was controlling the water, a water alchemist by the looks of it, grinned, "Damn right I am, Homunculus. And this will be your funeral song,"

Greed dodged an incoming attack, laughing, "I don't think so ya pussy! I don't like guys flappin' their guns," Greed moved in to attack, managing to shatter the sword of another bandit, who looked like he was no alchemist.

Oh how wrong Greed was.

"What the-?!" he shouted when he was suddenly punched by a large fist of iron, propelling him right against Ling, making both men fall to the ground with yells of pain.

The alchemist, the leader it seemed, rose his fists up, smirking smugly.

"No...don't tell me, there are more?" Ling rubbed his pounding head, regretting not having brought at least his sword or some bombs.

The leader smiled, "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Reever, the Iron Fist Alchemist." He balled his hand into a fist, continuously beating Ling and Greed into the ground while his lackeys took care of Ed and Roy.

"Damn it Mustang! Why do you have to be so milking useless when you're wet?!" Ed hollered in frustration, jumping in the air and kicking another bandit away.

Mustang delivered a uppercut to another's jaw, "Shut up! You can't even do any alchemy anymore!" Ed growled, punching another assailant away.

His eyes zeroed in on his angry as hell wife.

Wait...

Wife?

" _Winry_?!" he wondered what the _hell_ she was doing, running in the middle of the battle with a-

Gold eyes widened in horror.

 _It was the wrench!_

"HEY! WHAT IN THE MILK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Ed punched another bandit away before he went in a dead sprint towards his still running wife.

Winry apparently didn't hear him, "I'LL TEACH YOU TO TRY AND KIDNAP MY KIDS YOU STINKING IDIOTS!" Winry hit a incoming bandit with a wrench in between his legs, almost immediately, he fell like a log to the ground, crying and cupping his crushed jewels in his hands.

The Iron Fist Alchemist blinked rapidly in amazement, "What in the wor-" he was cut off short when the madwoman managed to hit his jaw with the blasted wrench.

Oh now he was _angry_.

"Why you-!" he prepared to launch another attack, a large fist coated in iron came at Winry as she tried to swing at him again.

"WINRY!"

At lightning speed, Ed grabbed his wife around the waist and slammed his automail foot against the incoming fist. He used the momentum to propel himself and Winry out of harms ways and land safely nearer the house on his feet.

He carefully set Winry down on her own feet.

The blasted wrench came again.

"Ouch!" Ed quickly grabbed at his aching head, shooting Winry murderous glares, "What the h- in the milk was _that_ for?!" he grit his teeth in annoyance.

Winry was furious, "I almost had him Ed! Why did you have to jump in like a caveman and make me miss my opportunity?!"

Ed's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, " _Opportunity_?! He almost made mashed Winry out of you! And what woman in her right mind goes running in the _middle_ of a battlefield armed with nothing but a _wrench_?!" the couple continued to bicker back and forth.

Winry fired back, "And _what_ man in his right mind goes fighting _alchemists_ without alchemy or a weapon or shield?!" Ed's eye twitched.

"I WAS TAUGHT MARTIAL ARTS BY A BADASS HOUSEWIFE NEED I REMIND YOU!" Ed hollered straight in Winry's face.

"Why you-!"

"Hey! Could you save your lover's quarrel for later?!" Greed and Ling had engaged the leader in close combat, "I hate to break it to ya but we need a hand over here! Looks like the big bad flame thrower over there can't light a spark!" Greed shouted just as he punched the leader in the gut.

Ed and Winry stared each-other down, Ed sighed heavily and said with a serious look in his eye, "Look, I know you only tried to help Winry and I know you're worried about the kids, but _please_ go inside and make sure everyone's alright, tell Hawkeye, Lan Fan and Mei _not_ to go out and fight alright?" after a moment of thinking Winry sighed and reluctantly nodded.

"Just...just come back in one piece alright?" Winry warned with a wave of her wrench.

Ed grinned, petting her head affectionately, "No promises, after all I still got my automail leg and the best mechanic in the world to fix me up!" Ed winked, quickly spotting Mustang and heading in his direction to help the Führer out.

Winry smiled and shook her head, quickly rushing inside the house to warn the others.

"Oh the irony! The Iron Fist Alchemist battles against the Fullmetal Alchemist who can't do alchemy!" Reever laughed crazily, harshly driving his iron sword into Greed's stomach and kicked Ling in the face, rushing toward Edward.

The golden haired man rolled his eyes, "What is it with you crazy milk drinkers and my title?!" Ed used his automail leg when Reever used his iron sword, he grinned when the sword bounced off his automail every time, leaving close to no scratch on him.

"What the-how can this be?" Reever snorted in anger.

Ed grinned, "Ask that my mechanic. And I guess good old Greed coated it in some diamond-like carbon to withstand attacks better," Ed grunted and slammed his elbow against Reever's stomach sending the alchemist crashing heavily to the ground.

Roy shoved his flip flop clad foot against another bandit and hissed in pain at the hard impact, "I knew I shouldn't have put on flip flops of all things!" Roy evaded another sword slash to his side and countered with a uppercut, "Then again, who expected them to crash the party,"

Ed smirked in response.

Ed and the others seemed to be gaining the upper hand, but then a sudden shrill scream from inside the house alerted the males that something bad happened.

"What now?!" Greed dodged a sword swing and turned his head towards the house, where three bandits came running out of it, both were...crying?

"Boss! Boss! These women are nuts! Fullmetal's wench keeps hitting me with her wrench and the Führer's wife knows how to fight with knives!"

The shorter bandit cried out, "Yeah! And the shorter Xingese princess knows kung fu or shit like that!" the leader groaned, whether in exasperation with his subordinates or pain, Ed didn't know nor care.

What he cared about was the squirming bundles the two bandits were holding in their arms.

"GIVE ME BACK MY KIDS YOU MILK DRINKERS!" Ed saw red, rushing toward the culprits who actually _dared_ to touch _his_ children, "AND DID YOU JUST CALL MY WIFE A WENCH!?" oh he was _furious_.

Reever asked, "Did you get all of them?" when his subordinates reached him, panting heavily.

"N-no, the Führer's wife nearly cut off my head, I'm not suicidal to kidnap _their_ kids!" Reever growled in annoyance but at least they had the other children.

"No matter, let's leave quickly,"

Greed's eyes widened when Ling shouted for Kiba and Nanami, who were being held by another bandit, the Homunculus growled deeply and immediately took after them.

"OI!" with lighting fast reflexes, Greed managed to wound the leader in the side with his claw, "Give me back those kids or I'll skewer you alive!"

"Too late, Homunculus," Greed was confused before a searing pain overwhelmed him and he felt like drowning suddenly, he realized the two alchemists tricked him and overwhelmed him.

Shit.

"SARAH! HOHEN!" Winry shouted out in worry, tears running down her eyes when she didn't see the bandits or her kids anywhere.

"D-damn it," Ed cursed, holding the side of his head to still the bleeding wound.

"N-no...A-Alice!" Mei looked around frantically, "Alice!"

Ling was at his wife's side, comforting her when she tried hard to compose herself, she couldn't believe it, her kids had been kidnapped.

"Win! Hey Win! Where's Al? What happened to him?" Ed hugged his distressed wife, patting her back to calm her down.

"They knocked him unconscious upstairs! He tried to fight them off but he wasn't strong enough. E-Ed why did they kidnap the kids? What did we ever do to them!?" Winry buried her face in his chest, taking deep breaths to calm down.

"I don't know Win...I don't know," Ed swallowed hard, feeling furious that he wasn't able to protect his own children or defeat some bandits and alchemists.

"I'll be right back, wait for me with some grilled meat alright?"

Everyone looked at Greed's retreating form, he was walking in the direction to town, ripping off the torn sleeves of his black coat.

"H-hey Greed," Ling jogged up to him, worried, "Where are you going? You're not going after them are you?"

Greed glared Ling right in the eye, "'Course I am damn it! I ain't gonna sit here and weep!"

"But Greed!" Ed called out, not believing what the hell the Homunculus was up to now, "If we couldn't defeat them how will you alone?!"

Greed's expression was serious and almost...bloodthirsty...

" _No one_ kidnaps _my_ nieces and nephews...I don't care how strong they are, I'll bring them back," with his mind firmly set, Greed started running towards town.

"But you don't even know where they are!" Roy shouted after the running man, gritting his teeth at his inability to defeat some bandits.

"Let him Mustang," Ling suddenly said, his eyes closed, "It's Greed we are talking about here, if he doesn't return by nightfall, we will look for him,"

Lan Fan rested a hand over her bulging stomach, her eyes scrunched in worry for Greed.

Ed look in the direction where his friend ran off to, "Let's just hope he knows what he's doing," Ed winced, holding his pounding head.

First things came first, they needed to treat the wounded.

* * *

Greed sighed, jumping from roof to roof.

"So, what exactly happened?" Heinkel asked, being a few steps in front of Greed as both individuals jumped from roofs to roofs.

"Long story short; some bandit shits decided to kidnap the kids and escaped. I have to get them back," Greed grit his teeth tightly together, he couldn't believe how they overwhelmed them like that.

Heinkel's eyes widened, "What?! Why didn't you tell me this before? I could have asked Darius and the rest to come with us as backup!" Greed smirked.

"Sorry but I'll deal with them myself, I just need your nose to track them down from me," there was a small piece of torn clothing hanging from Greed's pocket, torn cloth from the bandit leader, Reever.

"Are you sure? I can still call them," Heinkel didn't like this one bit, Greed said there were alchemists skilled enough to even overwhelm Mustang and Ed, not to mention Ling and Greed himself.

"No need, I work alone," Greed grinned at him, a very murderous look in his eyes.

Heinkel shivered in slight fear, his animal instincts telling him _not_ to provoke the furious Homunculus. He sure was glad Greed was on their side.

He didn't want to know what awaited those bandits once Greed actually finds them...

* * *

"How original," Greed commented with his hands in his pockets, looking at the rundown building, "A fucking warehouse...shoot me now," Greed 'tsked', slowly walking inside.

He hid behind the door when he spotted the bandits all standing in a circle, arguing rather loudly, Greed snorted.

"What?! No! You listen to me you punk! If we kill these kids now there's no way Fullmetal and the Führer give us money or any sort of power! What about that Emperor of Xing? We have his kids too, we could be rich as hell if we play this right!" the water alchemist argued.

Another bandit barked at him, "What are you? Suicidal? We kill the kids or they kill us! If we kill 'em then they will be mourning too much to even think of us!"

The leader crossed his arms, frowning, "What about that Homunculus? Greed was it?" he motioned to his wounded side, "I'd say he is pretty protective of those kids, I assume one of them is his," Reever smirked, "But which? Should we play cat and mouse with them? Give them a clue where we are and make them suffer by...torturing the young ones first?"

Greed's eyes widened and his fists shook in anger, oh if Wrath would see him now, he would be proud just how _angry_ Greed was.

The door stood no chance, Greed kicked it straight off its hinges, sending the door at high speed straight at the water alchemist, smashing his head when it crashed against the brick wall behind him.

Greed walked inside, slowly coating his arms in the ultimate shield, "So, you bastards plan on torturing them, do you? Little kids? Infants?" his wine colored eyes appeared almost a demonic red.

"Shit! It's the Emperor, he found us!" a bandit shouted, fear dripping off him in waves.

"Wrong. I'm the Emperor's worst half. I'm the kinda guy, guys like you wish they never messed with," Greed cracked his knuckles, "Now, tell me, _where_ are the kids?" he narrowed his eyes.

Reever laughed, "You really think we will tell you? Tough luck Homunculus, they will die before you even-"

Greed moved before any of them even registered he was gone from his previous spot.

A carbon coated claw plunged deeply into Reever's stomach, the man coughed out blood, Greed was close to him, twisting his hand further, "I despise guys like you, thinking you can gamble with people's lives like that, you remind me of my old man. And threatening to _kill_ children, _my_ nieces and nephews..." he made a fist with his claw inside Reever's stomach, crushing his insides, "You're making me angry, punk,"

Reever's coughed out more blood, his hand shaking, trying to reach his other hand and attempt to transmute a iron fist to get Greed away from him, but Greed crushed his wrist in his other hand brutally, "You will never make anyone suffer anymore, you made my friends suffer, you scared the kids, I'll make you _pay_ ,"

The other bandits were quickly dealt with by Greed, he picked up a badly beaten up guy by the collar of his shirt, "Alright, let's do this again, where are they?"

The beaten up guy shakily pointed to what looked like a storage room.

Greed released him and broke open the door, immediately spotting the crying bunch of children sitting on the floor.

Sarah and Hohen's eyes lightened up in happiness and relief, "Uncle Greed! You came!" Greed crouched down and hugged the eldest children of the bunch, Hohen 6 years of age while his little sister Sarah was just 3, close to him.

Greed chuckled softly, "Course I am, you didn't expect me to just sit back and cry did ya?" Greed petted their heads affectionately, he turned serious, "Did they hurt you?" he looked at the Elric kids before scanning Alice, Kiba and Nanami from head to toe.

Hohen shook his head but Greed's eyes zeroed in on a small, barely noticeable detail on little Sarah.

Her ribbon was missing.

All hell broke loose.

Greed's eyes turned red, "Uncle Gweed?" Kiba sucked on his finger, mumbling the Homunculus' name.

"Just you wait here, uncle Greed will come back after he's done talking to these men," Greed positioned the door so the children didn't see the half dead mean out.

He beat them up even more and again held up a severely beaten up guy in the air, "Where. Is. The. Ribbon?! _Talk_ or I'll make you,"

The poor man trembled in fear, "T-t-t-there!" he pointed at a table in the corner, where the blue ribbon lay.

Greed dropped the imbecile on the floor and made his way to the table, grabbing the ribbon from it and heading back to the children.

He squatted down in front of little Sarah and gently made an identical twin pig tail on the other side of her head. She laughed and clapped her hands together happily, reaching out for her favorite uncle.

Greed grinned and picked her up, cooing as if he didn't just beat up an entire gang within an inc of their lives, "Naw, who's a happy little girl? Yes you are, yes you are!" Greed nuzzled the baby's nose, "Am I glad you aren't coming after your father," the baby laughed and sloppily kissed Greed's face, making the man hug her to him happily.

He did the same to Kiba and Nanami, hugging and cooing at them. Hohen let himself be hugged but he was "a man like his dad" and didn't allow to be cuddled. Yet.

* * *

"Ling!" Ed's eyes widened to the size of saucers, nudging Winry beside him, she looked up and her eyes widened as well.

"E-Ed...is that...?" she cupped her hands over her mouth.

Mei and Al almost tripped over one another when they sprinted out of the house, "Alice!"

"It's...it's..." Ling couldn't believe it.

Lan Fan was wobbly making her way toward them as fast as she could, "Kiba! Nanami!" she had tears of happiness in her eyes, Ling wiped his own away furiously.

He made it. The bastard actually made it.

Greed grinned smugly, "Where is the meat? I'm starving!" the children on him all cheered in agreement.

Little Alice was on Greed's shoulders, her little chubby hands positioned on his forehead to hold herself steady, Hohen was holding Greed's hand, Kiba and Nanami were wrapped securely in front of Greed's chest by a blanket, little Sarah was holding Greed's other hand.

Greed smiled and sighed heavily.

He loved his job.

"GREED!" Ling shouted out in happiness, running toward him at impressive speed.

Greed's eyes widened, "Hey! Stop! Slow down ya stupid prince! I have kids on board!" Greed dodged the flying prince, making Ling crash to the ground, tears running down his cheeks, he was so very happy.

Greed had kept his promise and saved their children.

Winry and Ed were fussing over Hohen and Sarah, checking them over for injuries and repeatedly asking if they were alright.

Al was holding his wife and daughter in his arms happily, Mei crying into his chest while she pampered Alice with kisses and hugs.

Lastly, Lan Fan smiled up at Greed, who carefully handed her the sleeping children.

"Thank you so much Greed," Lan Fan smiled and kissed his cheek in gratitude, Greed smiled softly and nodded.

Ling was hugging his legs.

Damn it.

"OHHH GREED! MY BROTHER! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! THE SAVIOR! THE SAVIOR OF MY KIDS!" Ling looked about ready to kiss Greed's feet in appreciation if the Homunculus asked him to.

Greed growled, "Hey! Stop hugging me! You're embarrassing me!" Greed tried to shake Ling off but the man didn't budge.

He only budged when a certain wrench flew to his head.

"Greed!" Greed's eyes almost bulged out of his head, wait...

 _What_?

Greed blinked rapidly, "What the-"

"Oh Greed! You must be hungry! Come on, come on, we made your favorite food!" Winry smiled happily, latching onto his arm while Mei latched onto his other arm, smiling happily.

Lan Fan smiled and caressed his jaw, giggling when Greed turned from shell shocked to deliriously happy in seconds.

"Well...since you put it that way..." Greed offered his arms to Winry and Mei, "Ladies, lead the way,"

After all, they had to show their appreciation somehow for Greed fighting a bunch of alchemists and saving all their children.

"Unca Gweed! Unca Gweed!" Nanami and Kiba cheered when they woke up and Greed couldn't feel happier.

"Yeah...your unca Gweed's awesome," Greed grinned.

"Did Greed just...steal my wife...?" Ed blinked, frozen in his tracks as Hohen was biting his finger, Ed didn't even feel the pain, watching Winry carry plates of food to Greed.

"Uhh...Mei is also there..." Al pointed out, holding Alice in his arms, his jack slack.

"L-Lan Fan..." Ling slumped to the ground, tears falling down his cheeks rapidly like a waterfall when he saw Lan Fan laughing with Greed at the table.

 **Haha man I had fun writing this, so what do you guys think? Should I tone it down with the Greed one shots and write more about other characters?** I have the feeling like I'm writing too many Greed fics ^^

 **ADDED SCENE : **I added the small scene (which I marked) because I randomly thought the conversation would be more interesting ^^


	41. Author's Note!

**Author's Note!**

Eheh, sorry everyone not a new chapter! I'm currently working on the next chapter though, tomorrow I'm travelling back to Vienna, since traffic is said to be extremely bad, it will take nearly the whole day for me to arrive there Ugh, not to mention I'm dead tired from helping my parents out in outside (mawning the lawn...etc.)

Most likely I won't be able to post the new chapter as soon as I'd like but I think on Monday I should be able to update! :)

For now, let me answer your reviews so I don't leave you hanging! ;)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily** : (grins) (wipes tear away) Aww, I'm so damn happy every time I read your kind comments! Thanks so much Lily seriously! I'm sorry if sometimes my answers seem a little cold, I just...argh! I don't know, you and everyone else write so highly of me people would think I'm a good writer where in reality I'm an amateur writer who has a too oveactive imagination at times ^^ Really, thanks a lot for your support and your kind words :) I always have the urge to write really bad when I read your reviews to my one shots! Oh! Chemistry? Cool! I was always interested in chemistry and physics! :3

 **daughterofapollo12345** : Me: Time to check MY inbox. *sees reviews, screams, faints, repeat* (embarrassed giggle) Sorry about that, usually I do, but since MOST of my one shots (thank god not all o.o) I've written WITHOUT proof reading it and basically fast typing everything to not lose the idea in my head, which makes my works...meh...well "half assed" or "decent" for lack of a better word ^^" BUT I promise I'll slow down and try to write better one shots. haha You're welcome :) I honestly didn't ever expect to be able to write 40 chapters, at the beginning I didn't think I would even write 5 lol.

 **Panic** :haha yup ^^ I just had that random idea with the ribbon and I had to write it down or otherwise I would have chewed myself out for not writing it XD. Actually, I thought I was getting boring/annoying with writing Greed all the time, so I thought YOU guys might need a break from me hehe XD Oh, Kiba is a boy and Nanami is a girl :)

 **Anonymous J:** (reads your comment, grabs tissue box and starts bawling like a baby) T_T T-thanks J (sorry for calling ya J, heat of the moment lol) (cyber hugs you) Seriously thanks so much, I get so hopeful every time I read anyone's kind comments that I almost start crying at how nice you all are to me. Like I said before, I always wanted to be a writer but don't have the talent to be one, since I doubt my books would be read or sold at all :P But reading your comments and everyone else's makes me think maybe I'm not such a crappy writer after all :) (laughs) Thanks, you're a hundred times cooler than me though, thanks for the awesome support :)

ALRIGHT! Before I start weeping here with my tissue box from all these feelings I just have from reading your wonderful, wonderful reviews I'll try to finish the chapter I'm working on right now so that I can publish it on Monday (I would love to publish it now but it's...oh...yeah it's midnight here ^^) (yawns) Take care everyone, I'll be back by Monday! :)

Redfox over and out like a light! (salute!)


	42. The Examination

**PLEASE READ:** Uh...hi everyone. Um, I'm actually NOT DragonRedfox! Don't worry, she wrote this little tidbit a while ago and wanted me to publish it since she is currently fussing over preparations for school (I'm a RL friend of her btw). Heh, yeah, she's also freaked out because she didn't fulfill all requests of everyone (as far as I recall). For the next few days I'll post some of her work here I'll, of course, relay all and any reviews she will get so she stops worrying ;) Thank you all for supporting her like that, she really tries hard to be a good writer and I hope she makes it ;)

 **The Examination**

"Ugh, those stupid Elrics," Greed threw his long black coat over the back of a chair, shutting and locking the large door behind him.

Greed stopped in the middle of the large, spacious room and looked around for the first time, "Hm...so he really is a prince huh?" Greed mused, crossing his arms and clicking his tongue.

Ling sure lived in luxury, that bastard. Curtains seemingly made of fine silk covering the large windows which nearly expanded from the bottom of the floor to the beginning of the ceiling, dusted in light freckles of gold like a thin layer of dust over a white plane. The living room was very large, sporting what Greed assumed was training equipment littered on the floor, a long, oval shaped dining table made of dark oak wood, copious amounts of fruits and sweets covering the surface.

Greed grinned.

He spotted two closed doors and opened the first one to the left, it was the bathroom.

The bathroom was only a little smaller than the living room itself, offering a closed off toilet, a very large bath tub decorated in floral patterns on its smooth sides, Greed recognized the bathtub and the water system to be fashioned as once older bath tubs looked like instead of the more modern ones. It was missing a shower head, but the faucet looked to be made of pure gold, nearly shining in the light of the large chandelier hanging from above. Greed blinked.

He crossed his arms, blood running from his nose and grinning like a fool, "Oh yeah baby! I _love_ this place!"

 _"_ _Thank you, chose it myself,"_ the voice of a certain prince sounded inside Greed's head.

Greed snorted, "Oi, princy, I was wondering when you would wake up,"

Inside their shared mind, among the endless abyss of crying souls swarming every corner of Ling's mind, the prince sat with crossed arms and legs, looking calm, " _The fight was more tiresome than I expected, it took its toll on me,"_ he sounded slightly embarrassed.

Greed exited the bathroom and snorted, "With your fragile human bodies how can it not. Well, at least you're rich." Greed said this just as he was pushing open the large double doors, which he presumed was the bedroom.

My. Fucking. God.

A sharp, loud whistle sounded, which seemed to resonate in the large, lonely room.

" _Aw_ man! Now this is what I call heaven!" Greed didn't waste any time to jump on the king sized bed, inhaling the scent of something sweet and mellow, "Hell piss-ant, ya sure live here on cloud nine don't ya?" Greed laughed, rolling around on the bed.

"Now spit it out, where are the ladies?" Greed propped himself up with his hands on the bed as he rapidly whipped his head this way and that, his eyes passing over a large full body mirror, a smaller-

What the hell?

"Do ya doll yourself up over there or what?" Greed looked over at what appeared to be a old fashioned vanity mirrors with a small desk underneath it.

Ling sighed, " _No, I used that to hide my scars whenever I fight a powerful enemy or train martial arts, I don't want them to be seen when I need to attend formal occasions,"_

Greed rose an eyebrow, "Hide your scars? Why would you do that?" the Homunculus blinked then clicked his tongue, "Tch, having scars is saying how powerful ya are. Do you think your country wants some punk with baby smooth skin that's never lifted a finger? I say, that's a crappy ruler,"

" _I...I've never seen it that way before..."_ Ling rubbed his chin in thought, surprised how thoughtful the cruel Homunculus could be, " _And anyway, what did you mean with ladies? Why would there be any women here?_ " Ling rose an eyebrow in confusion, tilting his head.

Greed smirked, "Duh, as entertainment of course what else! Ya got money, fame and status! Ya can't tell me you aren't enjoying a couple of females every night right? You must be the big bad boss around here, being heir to the throne and all. I say ladies get the hots for these high and mighty positions," Greed examined his fingers casually, a devil-may-care grin on his face.

Ling flushed in embarrassment, " _W-well...no actually not. I've been far too busy with my duties to waste my time on that. Besides, I got Lan Fan and Fu to-"_

Greed perked up in sudden interest, "Hoho, Lan Fan huh? Who is she? Your woman? Is she hot?" Greed rested his chin against his hand, laying flat on his belly on the bed while waiting for Ling's answer, his eyes shining in mirth.

" _How dare you! Shut up Greed! You'll stay away from Lan Fan! She is just my bodyguard and a dear childhood friend, nothing more!"_ Ling felt a pang in his heart at saying that but he firmly set his mind to it, fighting off any feelings of embarrassment.

Greed felt the shift in the mood, "Hmm, no need to lie to me kid, I'm been walking on this earth before you were even planned. I recognize puppy love when I see it. So, this Lan Fan of yours is your body guard huh? Any other services besides 'guarding' your body? No?" Greed snickered, he loved to rile up the prince for some reason.

Ling's chi flared in anger at the Homunculus' disrespect for his close friend, " _Shut the hell up Greed! And it's not puppy love alright? There are no 'services'! I can't believe I let a perverted sick creature like you share my body!"_ Ling shook his head.

Greed's annoyance flared this time, "Oh really? What's so perverted and sick in thinking outta the box? If that Lan Fan girl is beautiful and all why not have her for yourself? You've got the power, the money, half way the looks... You could have any woman ya want," Greed remained silent, waiting patiently for him to answer.

He was surprised when Ling confessed quietly, " _I...don't want any other woman,"_ from that moment on Greed realized he was crossing dangerous territory, that Lan Fan woman must be a sore spot for Ling, since he didn't see her yet, he assumed she wasn't here in Xing too. Though Greed's avarice was great, greater than anyone else's, he had a feeling that trying to steal Ling's girl wouldn't be a good way to start their share-my-body-relationship thing especially since he sensed strong emotions within Ling at the mention of that woman.

Greed let it slide. There are plenty of fish in the sea after all.

He smirked, getting off the bed, "Well, time to see how my new body looks like,"

Ling's eyes widened, " _What? What do you mean?"_ he panicked when Greed started taking off _his_ clothes!

" _H-hey! Stop undressing me you bastard!"_ Greed's arm suddenly froze mid-air but he easily gained control of it again.

Greed smirked almost evilly, "Tch, ya gotta do better than that to restrain me, idiot prince. I'd suggest you take a nap, maybe then you can actually control your own body," Greed chuckled, undressing down to his boxers.

The Homunculus stood now in front of the mirror, comically posing in different positions to carefully observe his new body.

He bent this way and that, stretched his legs and arms out, thrusting his pelvis forward then back, craning his neck, looking over his shoulder at his back and flexing the thinly defined muscles.

He frowned in displeasure, "Oi, oi, what's this? My old body was way more buff than yours! What do you do all day? Sit on your ass?" Greed 'tsked', crossing his arms.

Ling frowned, peeved, " _Oi! I've trained ever since I was young by a martial arts teacher! I'm still only 15 so my muscles may not look as pronounced...and I've started eating a bit more..."_ Ling sweat dropped heavily, remembering how he robbed Ed and Al of their money within the span of five minutes by wolfing down plate after plate of food.

Greed scrutinized himself in the mirror critically, "Hm...not bad. We will gotta work on the muscle mass a bit more but otherwise nice body," Greed grinned, "Yeah, nice ass too. Man, I got a great ass,"

Ling almost fell on his back, " _HEY! THAT'S MY GREAT ASS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE GREED!"_

Greed waved off Ling's protests like an annoying fly, "Yeah, yeah, whatever piss-ant,"

" _Stop calling me piss-ant you lousy Homunculus!"_

Ignoring Ling's insults, Greed turned again, "Hmm...yeah, after working a bit more of muscle I'll have a killer body! The ladies will just be waitin' in line,"

Greed smirked, his calloused hands moving to the white boxers of Ling, he clicked his tongue in mild annoyance, "Seriously? White boxers? Ya gotta be shitting me. I'll have to give ya some fashion tips, can't let you go walking around like a fashion disaster on two legs," Greed shook his head, hooking his thumbs under the elastic band on the boxers.

He sensed Ling almost jump from his sitting position inside their shared mind, " _WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! STOP UNDRESSING ME YOU PERVERT! THIS IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT!"_ Ling was freaking out over Greed actually fully exposing himself, he felt so...violated... he almost ripped out his hair from its roots. Damn it all to hell!

Greed rolled his eyes at the youth, "Oh shut up would ya? Calm your tits man, we all have the same thing here. Wait...you're a guy right?" Greed quickly peeked inside the boxers just to be sure, his eyes comically wide.

Ling flushed bright red from anger and embarrassment, the _audacity_ of this creature!

" _OF COURSE I AM WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU STUPID HOMUNCULUS?! AND STOP STARING AT IT!"_

Greed remained calm, "Alright, alright, no need to get your panties in a twist. Just look at it like a physical without me being a doctor," Greed slowly pulled down the boxers, stepping out of them and kicking them in some corner of the room.

Ling nearly fainted.

Greed smirked faintly, lifting one leg, then the other, posing this way and that, he rubbed his chin in thought, his gaze narrowed.

"Hmmm..." several long minutes of silence passed until Greed finally spoke, "I like it,"

He grinned like a child, resting his hands on his bare hips boldly and grinning at his reflection, sharp teeth grinning back at him.

Ling couldn't believe what just happened, " _Oh I'm so_ _ **relieved**_ _you do! Now stop violating my privacy and put my clothes back on you fool!"_ It would be a _miracle_ if he didn't kill Greed now...

Greed grinned but his nose suddenly twitched and he recoiled.

He lowered his arms, "Ah man, all this fighting sure brings up a sweat, I could use a shower about now," Greed got an idea, developing a very devilish grin.

Ling bristled in alarm, " _Greed...why are you smiling like that? Greed?!"_ Ling continually shouted for the Homunculus not to abuse his chambers but the threats and pleas fell on deaf ears it seemed.

Greed, in all his/Ling's naked glory slammed open the door to the bathroom, his feet spread apart and a hand casually on his bare hip, whistling again at the luxurious sight.

"Oh yeah, I'm gonna enjoy this real good," Greed quickly grabbed a towel after a bit rummaging through the small closets of the bathroom, draping it over his shoulder with a big grin.

Ling shook his head in exasperation, sighing irritably, " _I should've locked all my rooms, I knew it!"_

Ling's eyes widened when Greed just grabbed what he suspected he did...no way...he did _not_ just grab 'that'!

" _LEAVE MR. DUCKY ALONE YOU STUPID HOMUNCULUS!"_ Ling roared inside their mind.

 **The end! I hope everyone enjoyed it!**


	43. FMA Author's Note Jaden

**Author's Note!**

Sorry guys, it's me again (Redfox's RL friend, just call me uhh...hmm...call me Jaden for lack of a better made up name lol).

Redfox asked me to publish this author's note because she went to a check up yesterday (because of her braces) and well...a brackett got loose and she had to go to the dentist today AGAIN to get it fixed. It's fixed but she's seriously suffering from pain, bleeding in her mouth and lack of sleep. I'm afraid it'll be a little while until she can update again, any stories for that matter. *sighs* She's not happy about that but I forced her to rest and take a break, as much as she can anyway. She has a few finished one shots but since I'm taking care of her I'll publish them some time later.

She's greeting everybody and wishing you all good luck in school/work and sends hugs and kisses! (her words, not mine) *Sweat drop*

Redfox and Jaden over and out! (salute)

 **BTW: ANY IDEAS OR REQUESTS YOU HAVE PLEASE WRITE THEM DOWN! REDFOX WILL WRITE THEM ONCE SHE'S BETTER (says she)**

Semi-funny & painful convo between me (Jaden) and her (Redfox):

R (Redfox):" Jaden...come on...pleaseeeee write a quick author's note so my readers know what's going on! I didn't update some stories in a while and I'm feeling terrible!

J: *patronizing glare* Nu-uh, sorry, I'm tasked with taking care of you, now come on sit up you lump, you look like you're freaking dying! *holds cup of lukewarm herbal tea*

R: *whines like a baby* I don't waaaaannnaaa! Go away you're annoying! And nobody even tasked you!

J: *eye roll* It doesn't matter who tasked me with babysitting you, you will sit up and drink your tea!

R: *sticks tongue out then winces in pain* Noooooo. I hate unsweetened tea! You can't make me!

J: *taps foot* 1...

R: Oh, so _now_ you're counting to three huh? Ohhh I'm soooooo scared! *crosses arms*

J: 2...

R: *snorts* You know how stubborn I am, ya can't make me do nothin'! *holds cheeks in pain and whines*

J: -.-" *grabs cool pack away from her* You want this? First drink the damn tea! The dentist said it would help soothe your wounds!

R: O.O GIVE ME BACK THAT ICE YOU JERK! I'm DONE FOR WITHOUT MY ICE!

J: Redfox...

R: *after several long, agonizing minutes...* Wipe that smug smirk off your face and give me that cursed cup.

J: *grins and hands her the cup*

R: *makes disgusted face* Do I have to? I promise it ain't as bad anymore...

J: I know when you're lying, now come on, drink.

R: *shoots glares at Jaden the whole time while she swallows down the tea* I hate you...

J: Yeah, yeah, I love ya too. *feels forehead* Either you're burning or I'm hot.

R: Uh-huh...did hell freeze over already? *giggles behind her cup*

J: -.- You have to admit I'm handsome.

R: Stop lying and give me my ice back you demon!

J: *rolls eyes and holds ice pack against her cheek* You're one to talk, calling me a demon...

R: I'm sorry Jaden but I didn't sleep at all and I'm hungry! Can you hear how my stomach's growling?! I'm going nuts!

J: *sighs softly* Sorry, I can't help you there much. Besides, you still have your reserves in case you're starving.

R: O.- ...Reserves?

J: *nods*

R: DON'T TALK ABOUT MY RESERVES! *throws stuffed lion at head*

J: *blinks* ...you still have your reserves even if you throw random stuffed animals at me...

R: DIE! (she isn't actually fat, I just love teasing her about that lol)

J: Watch your tongue missy. *thinks of an idea* Hey, want some mashed apples?

R: *perks up at the wonderful prospect of food* *.* You're god...

J: *chuckles* Nah, but close. Try not to suffocate yourself with the pillow, I'll be right back.

R: ...a lot of mashed apples please!

J: As you wish my lady!

R: Why don't you become my butler?

J: *screams from kitchen* If you pay me!

R: *stays quite for some time* Forget I ever asked!

J: Oh come on stop being so selfish! Pay me!

R: Money can be put to better use...like for food... *chews her lip then cringes at the pain*

J: I'm amazed how you don't look like a elephant...you talk about food more than you whine like a baby

R: I'M NOT A BABY YOU'RE A BABY!

J: See? Only a baby denies being a baby.

R: THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE!

J: You don't either when you're in pain!

R: At least I have an EXCUSE!

J: God...give me strength...

R: Hey! You don't even believe in god!

J: So? I can pray to whoever I want to when I feel like I'm going to die by being bossed around by you!

R: *suddenly tears up because of pain in her mouth and not my word* You think...I'm bossy? T_T

J: *sighs* Hey now...wait...

R: *starts sniffling*

J: *runs hand down face* Uhh...hey...Redfox...come on now...don't be like that... HEY! WAIT!

R: *looks at Jaden*

J: How about we watch some uh...FMA?

R: But...but...the feels...

J: *quickly thinks of other anime* W-what about uhh...Fairy Tail? You love Fairy Tail so much!

R: *water works continue coming* THE LATEST CHAPTERS ARE SOOO SADDD!

J: *panicked* Uhh...SKYRIM!

R: *freezes* *.* Skyrim...wanna play...

J: *sighs* Finally. Come on, after you eat let's play some Skyrim alright? *grins*

R: *smiles slightly* Mhm...thanks buddy...

R: ...You're still gonna write that author's note right? *pointed look*

J: -.- EAT YOUR MASHED APPLES WOMAN!

Ahem...as you can see I did write the author's note. Personally, I think our conversations are sometimes hilarious haha. Well, have a nice day guys, I'll update new one shots as soon as Redfox is feeling better! Thanks for reading this gibberish XD


	44. Big, Grey World

Hi guys! Sorry, Redfox is resting so I'll update the story she just had to write, she's feeling a bit better but she's still fighting the pain I'm afraid, at least the headaches have stopped. *sighs* Thank you all kindly for your wishes and 'get well's :) I informed her of course and she was happier, she said to give you all hugs. I'm sorry if this chapter I'm about to update will be sad, Redfox herself almost cried while writing this you'll see soon why.

 **Happy reading anyhow! Enjoy!**

 **Big, Grey World**

Black tired eyes looked up at the blonde familiar woman she had come to know so well during her years of life until now, who had cared, fed and played with her. Her grey eyes, or she suspected she had a different eye color, were puffy, liquid dropping from them, sliding down her cheeks.

She had watched as Winry crumbled and fell repeatedly, mainly when she was still very small and the two boys she had gotten to know well too, Ed and Al, had to leave. Why? She didn't know, she just knew they smelled different yet the same every time they visited.

The scent of blood and metal was almost always on them, then a more mellow scent, comforting was on them too, something very familiar, a sort of spicy, exotic scent as well, perhaps due to traveling to all sorts of places and their mixed diet, she didn't know.

Whenever Winry would see them, she would smell so happy, gone were the waves of sadness she always sensed from her whenever the two males weren't there, especially Ed.

Each person had a distinctive scent on them, if another one liked it a lot and found it comforting they would be mates, at least in her world it would be like that. She had long since known that Edward was Winry's mate even before they themselves did, she supposed Granny Pinako did too.

Pinako would always sit with her by the veranda, watching how the two boys with the familiar scents would walk away and the smell of tears and sadness would return once again. She had tried to cheer Winry up as best as she could, but there was only so much someone like her could do, given that she didn't understand her language.

She had been angry and guarded when men dark clothing came, all grey of course, trying to approach the house, she had tried to defend her territory but Pinako had waved her off, signaling it would be alright. She didn't like how they smelled; like death, war, blood, gunpowder.

It made her nauseas.

She didn't like how guarded Winry was in front of them either, if it weren't for Pinako in the room, she would have made them run with their tails between their legs.

The world around her was grey, grey in different shades, but grey all the same. She recognized a few words the humans would say, things that had been taught to her, but the rest, she just couldn't decipher.

She would always be so happy when the two boys, now grown males, would return and Winry would be happy. It had seemed that after a long time, they would stay.

A few years had passed again and their pups had been born. However, they didn't look like normal pups. They were hairless, except for the top of their head, like all humans seemed to have. They were small, fragile and crawled on all fours but seemed inapt at doing so. She knew the natural way for humans to walk was on two legs, a feat she herself was only able to do a few seconds at best.

Despite their differences, she was well in tune with them. Sensing their emotions, their feelings... their offspring smelled like a combination of Winry and Edward and their own, still undeveloped scent. She had licked their cheeks to show her affection, she was happy when they would reach for her and pet her gently. She had welcomed the contact happily.

Winry and Edward were older and she couldn't help but compare Edward to a male she was once very fond of, how protective he was of his mate and pups, how his anger would flare dangerously when another male attempted to court Winry, a already mated female. She understood as well, she would shoo the offender off whenever she had the feeling enough was enough.

She had lived for so long, well passed the normal life span of some of her old, deceased friends. There weren't many of her kind in Resembool, but the few that were she had played and interacted with. Now they were gone.

And now she would be too.

She weakly lifted her automail front leg, but found it suddenly far too heavy so instead, she settled back down on the grass, her whole body feeling heavy and weak. Winry gently took her paw and caressed it, it calmed her, made her feel sleepy too.

Winry had whispered something to her, she only understood one word though, ' _love'_.

Wait...

' _I love you'_ her eyes widened and mustering up her last remaining strength she lifted her head, affectionately licking Winry's hand as well as Edward's, who comforted his mate by rubbing her back, he also gently petted her own furry head.

She felt weightless in the next moment, more sleepy, more drained, so tired. Her head hit the side of the soft grass beneath her.

The vision of Pinako, Winry, Edward, Alphonse and his mate and other people she didn't know as good yet were familiar, blurred.

She heard Ed and Winry's whispered voices for the last time, until the world turned silent and dark at the same time.

She didn't feel anything, she didn't see anything or hear anything.

But she was sure what her owner had said at the end.

 _I love you Den._

Den closed her eyes and smiled, a tear rolling down her eye and she knew, it was over.

Her book may have been finished but she knew, there were many others out there who had just begun.

 **Done!** Redfox's personal message:" Hey everyone, I'm so sorry I didn't update at all. I'm fine but err..not feeling THAT great so I guess I'll need to rest a bit more. I know this story is really sad, I haven't found any fics regarding Den, the family dog, so I decided to write one of my own. I don't know why, must be because of the pain, but the horrible idea suddenly struck me what if, when I'm not there, my beautiful little baby girl (dog) Lara, would suddenly be gone? I would be devastated and that's why I created this, shown from Den's POV, something different and sad. I almost cried myself, ugh, don't worry, my original ideas/as well as yours will come as soon as I'm able! Thanks for your awesome support everyone! :)


	45. The Homunculi go to school!

Hi there, sorry it's Jaden again xD. Long story short: Redfox is dead tired, especially since the pain killers didn't work at all and she barely slept any at night. She's sleeping now to and I cite 'not look like a mass murderer or a zombie in the morning because I get grumpy if I don't sleep', true story lol.

 **To Panic:** Anyway, she checks her e-mails daily AND she and I both saw the awesome pics on **deviantart** drawn by **Panic a.k.a CelestialInk** and we were delighted! Thanks so much for drawing that fine piece of art! She told me to send you lots of hugs and kisses (It's so weird coming from a guy...but yeah xD) She had to laugh when she read the part where you mentioned that the drawing wasn't as good, she told me to tell you exactly like this: 'Oh please! Nobody ever did something so nice to me before! Thank you so much for drawing such wonderful pictures Panic! It helps me to forget the pain, even if it is for a little while :) I was surprised why more people didn't favorite them, they were terrific! Thank you so much for dedicating it to me, it means a lot to me. I hope you have a great day!

Hmm...'nobody ever did something so nice to me before'...well, don't I have something to say about that? xD Kidding, kidding (though she could give me more credit), anyway, have fun reading this one!

 **NOTE: Check out the chapter with '** ** _Ideas for Chapters'_** **Redfox updated the list!**

 **The Homunculi go to school!**

"Silence!" the teacher roared in anger, loudly slammed a book on his desk, effectively silencing the rowdy bunch of, mostly delinquents, in his class. He sighed heavily, adjusting the book in his hands.

Roy Mustang narrowed his eyes, "Lust...stop distracting Gluttony," the dark haired man sighed, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

One of the students, the most popular girl in the entire school, Lust, twirled a lock of her ebony hair around her finger, a seductive smile playing on her red painted lips as she regarded her teacher, "Me? But I'm not doing anything," she innocent said, her white teeth showing as she grinned wickedly.

Gluttony, the most overweight but surprisingly agile boy in class, stuck his tongue out at his classmate and close friend, salivating all over his desk, his round, brown eyes dilating.

Roy sighed.

"Tch, if Lusty would stop wearing ribbons as clothes, maybe Gluttony wouldn't make a whole waterfall of his spit," Greed, Lust and Gluttony's elder brother, retorted with a grin, unusually red eyes glistening with mischief.

"Now, Greed, what did I tell you about such comments-" Roy was cut off by none other than Greed.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard it pops. 'No swearing and trash talking in or about school' I get it, no need to tell it to me until my ears bleed," he crossed his strong arms, rolling his eyes.

"Greed, I suggest you refrain from provoking our teacher any further, least you want Father to get called to school again because of your reckless behavior," Pride reprimanded his younger brother sharply, calmly sitting at his own desk, his book open on the page they were currently reading.

Greed shot him a quick glare, grumbling something under his breath as he grabbed his book and read the required page.

Wrath was sitting quietly in his seat, reading as well. Roy observed the very odd bunch of siblings.

Not to mention their...names. All named after the seven deadly sins of mankind. Roy would never understand how someone could name their children like that. Roy suspected they tried to fit the roles their namesakes suggest and that's why they also behave like that.

Lust dresses very provocatively, not to mention all the sexual innuendos and flirty winks and had standard marks at exams. Greed is very possessive about his things and always says how he wants everything, even Roy's position as a teacher since it holds 'so much power', Roy had to roll his eyes at it every time though much to his surprise the 16-year-old had very good marks. Gluttony could eat a ton in the cafeteria, the cafeteria ladies there would always cook large quantities just for him alone to eat, so the rest of the school body had their normal helpings. Whenever Roy would look over his marks and exam results he asked himself why he was even trying to educate the boy.

Now Pride was usually calm and collected, rarely out of line really. He had excellent marks, the only drawback was how arrogant the kid was. Roy always labeled him as 'the rich kid', the way how he carried himself and wrote essays about _himself_ frequently...Roy tried very hard to overlook that personality trait.

Wrath, contrary to his name, was rare to violent outbursts. He was one of the most collected of the siblings and one of the oldest, he had excellent marks, even better than Pride's. He was tall for his age and seemed to have wisdom beyond his years. However, Riza Hawkeye, the gym and history teacher, would often tell him how strong Wrath was in gym as well how very aggressive he played at team sports, like football or basketball. Roy was very glad he hadn't witnessed it.

Roy turned his attention to one of the younger siblings, "Envy...stop taking Greed's pencils... Greed...stop hitting your brother..." Roy sighed, covering his eyes with his hand.

Envy, a boy of thinner, athletic build, with oddly spiky long, dark green colored hair, snarled like a raging bull as he kept swatting at Greed's hands, Greed doing the same.

"But he started it! Why does that bastard have so many pencils and I only have two?! For what does he need so many pencils?!" Greed growled and pulled on Envy's hair, making him yelp and pull his brother's black pony tail roughly. Greed growled and swatted his hand away.

"Jealous ya runt?! Ya don't even write or pay attention to class! Why the hell do you even _need_ pencils?! And stop pulling my hair you imbecile!" Greed grabbed one of his pencils and hurled it at Envy's head.

"Boys!" Roy roared in irritation, "To the headmaster! Now!" black eyes pierced the two fighting brothers.

"What did _I_ do?! That jealous little green monster started it! He kept poking me and trying to take my pencils! What's wrong with me trying to knock some sense into 'im?" Greed glowered at Mustang from his seat, crossing his arms.

"Mr. Mustang, may I speak?" Wrath raised his hand politely, glaring menacingly at Envy out of the corner of his eye.

Roy rubbed his forehead again, "Yes, Wrath?"

"I think it is appropriate if you only send Envy to the headmaster, I saw how Envy was pocking Greed with his pencil and attempting to steal his property," as Wrath said this, Envy turned his head to violently retort, until he saw the nearly demonic look his oldest brother was giving him.

Envy sank into his chair.

Greed grinned, "Ha! Whatcha gonna do now old man?" Greed stuck his tongue out at Roy, grinning like a cat.

Roy clenched his fists, his whole body shivering, he looked like a volcano about ready to explode.

" TO THE PRINCIPAL! _NOW!_ "

Greed and Envy found themselves sitting in the principal's office.

Greed kicked Envy in the shin hard, "This is all your fault! If you weren't so damn jealous of my awesome things we wouldn't be sitting ducks here!" Greed roared at his brother with crossed arms and a displeased frown on his face.

Envy rubbed his shins and roared back:" Who do you think you are you good-for-nothing, stuck up piece of-"

The door slammed shut loudly.

Greed and Envy nearly jumped in their seats, straightening up.

"Ah, you two again. I've heard from Mr. Mustang how...unruly you were in his class," the principal's white suit appeared as the tall man walked slowly to his black high chair, "We can't have that now can we?"

He sat down, straightened his tie with a menacing grin.

Greed and Envy swallowed loudly.

Solf J. Kimblee was a formidable man, one the siblings weren't too keen on angering.

The man grinned, "Let's talk a bit, shall we?" violet eyes narrowed.

"So, where's that idiot brother of yours?" Pride asked as he chewed slowly on his sandwich, grimacing at the bland taste, "Trust Father to prepare us lunch..."

Lust grimaced, "He's your brother too, as much as you claim the opposite, Kimblee is probably still drilling them," Lust threw away her own sandwich, stealing an apple from Wrath he had picked up from the cafeteria.

"You're smart...eating at the cafeteria..." Lust commented to her older brother, taking a bite out of the apple before giving it to him to share.

Wrath took a bite himself before he gave it back to Lust, showing her hand another apple, "Because I know Father's culinary skills are far from gourmet quality," while Wrath had a great amount of respect for his parent, didn't mean he should like his nonexistent cooking skills as well.

"Why not let uncle Elric cook? He makes the best bean soup..." Gluttony said happily, eating his sandwich before eating the apples Wrath offered him.

"If we let him cook for us then poor little Ed won't have anymore," Pride teased, a arrogant smirk on his face.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING AS LITTLE AS A BEANSPROUT YOU ARROGANT BASTARD?!" one certain Edward Elric shouted from god knows where, his girlfriend Winry keeping him from physically lashing out at the group of siblings.

"Brother, please don't make a scene...you don't want Mr. Mustang to catch you..." Alphonse Elric muttered nervously, blushing when Mei Chang, a girl a year younger than him and attending the same art class, waved and smiled at him.

Her elder cousin, Ling Yao, was standing next to her, smiling and waving at Al once he saw to whom Mei was waving at.

Al smiled nervously and waved back, quickly dragging his brother and childhood friend behind him so they didn't get into unnecessary fights.

"Yo," Greed greeted his old friend, doing their age old hand shake together with a grin.

"Ah, Greed! Long time no see buddy!" Ling grinned back, happy to see Greed again.

The 16-year old cocked his head to the side, "Where have you been? Haven't seen you around in a while, a week or so," he rose an eyebrow.

Contrary to popular belief, mainly that Greed and Ling were brothers, or at least related, they were just friends, no blood relatives. Greed had his long black hair styled a little differently but nevertheless it had a striking resemblance to Ling's own dark ,long hair, which was commonly tied into a pony tail with a white ribbon. Their personalities were also similar. Ling was pretty greedy too, it was no wonder the two males got along so well.

 _At home_

"Daaad! Tell Greed to share!" Lust cried, angrily hitting Greed's shoulder when he took her pizza piece from her plate.

"Greed...share with your sister. There is enough for everyone," his father droned as he chewed idly on his own slice of pizza, raising an eyebrow when Sloth and Gluttony whispered something heatedly in low tones.

"Father, may I have another slice?" Wrath formally asked his father, wiping his mouth clean with a napkin.

Pride narrowed his eyes, "But you already had three slices,"

Father smiled, "Help yourself Wrath," he rubbed his son's head almost proudly, causing Pride to cringe in jealousy.

 _He_ was supposed to be his dad's favorite! Not Wrath!

Envy looked on with a bored expression, past the point of caring how much pizza he got, he just sighed heavily and rested his head on the desk.

"Envy, say, what's wrong?" his father asked, observing his son's oddly peaceful nature.

"Nothing..."

"He got called to Kimblee today!" Greed pointed an accusing finger at his brother, laughing wickedly like a child.

"You got called in too you stupid little-!" Envy growled, his fists clenching in anger.

"Now, now," father silenced his unruly children, "Why did you get called to the principal today?" he narrowed his eyes, anticipating the answer.

Envy turned shy, looking away from his father, "Well...er..."

"He provoked Greed in class and Greed hit him," Wrath answered bluntly, chewing on his pizza as he watched Envy's eyes widen in mild amusement.

"Excuse me? You _hit_ your brother during class _again_? What did I possibly do wrong with you boy?" Father looked sternly at Greed, who grumbled something incoherent under his breath.

He rolled his red eyes, "In case ya didn't hear due to old age, old man, the runt provoked me first. And I didn't _hit_ him, I swatted at him like a fly. Right Pride, Wrath?" he looked at his older siblings for confirmation, knowing they would answer truthfully.

Wrath and Pride both nodded, Pride was pleased his opinion was asked and that his dear Father would believe him.

Suddenly, a slice of pizza hit Greed square in the face and slowly slid down his cheek, leaving molten cheese, mushrooms and salami slices hanging onto his skin.

Greed's eye twitched, "Now you've done it you little runt," Greed growled lowly at Envy, who grinned wickedly at his brother's anger.

"Now wait, children don't-"

Chaos ensued.

Greed jumped over the table, trying to strangle Envy, while Gluttony jumped over him to save the pizza from being crushed.

"OW! GET OFF OF ME YOU PIG! YOU'RE SQUISHING MY INSIDES FLAT!" Greed hollered loudly, rolling Gluttony away from him.

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL MY BROTHER A PIG YOU DAMN WOMANIZER!" Lust suddenly jumped on Greed's back, clawing at him and janking at his pony tail painfully.

"Ow! Damn it! STOP ABUSING ME YOU WITCH!" Greed attempted to somewhat carefully get Lust off him, since he had a strict 'no hitting women' rule.

Wrath and Pride watched the food battle ensue, calmly sitting in their chairs and drinking their tea.

"You will never be Father's favorite," Wrath suddenly commented to Pride.

Wrath found himself flying on the table, breaking it in two and causing all the siblings on top to fall with it.

Pride tried to violently rip out Wrath's hair, causing the older sibling to roar in pain and slam him down against the broken table.

Father sighed, putting on his oven mittens and thinking of a new exotic recipe he could try out. Sloth watched the spectacle with disinterested eyes before he stood up and followed his father to the kitchen, leaning his forearms against the kitchen counter and watching what his father was doing.

Father smiled and petted Sloth on his head affectionately saying, "You're my favorite out of all,"

Sloth grinned.

Pride raged.

 **The end, I hope you all enjoyed it! Redfox is sending her hugs and kisses! :) Oh and me too by the way (Jaden) xD**


	46. The One Without a Heart

Yo! Sorry, it's just Jaden again *chuckles awkwardly* Well, since Redfox is a crazy author and a even more insane person, lol, she had this out-of-the-blue idea, nearly killed me with her overexcited self and decided to quickly write about it...then the monster fell asleep...yeah, poor girl hadn't had a wink of sleep because of the pain and bleeding BUT she said she was getting better so I hope she will get to her feet soon (heh, like I know her, she would force herself to get up and study / write, such a stubborn fool).

Ahem, right, enough about bashing dear Redfox ;) I hope you guys enjoy this little piece of spontaneous, unusual chapter :D

 **The One Without a Heart**

What if a forced transmutation went wrong? What if one Alchemist had been forced to preform Human transmutation and instead of Truth directly taking something from her, he threatens to take away her friends, people she cherished most, people she kept close to her heart.

In a vain attempt to save her friends, she offered Truth to take whatever he wished, whether it be her organs, her senses or her entire body.

Truth grinned with a cruel, twisted smile, "Anything?" He chuckled, "Then how about your heart?"

She didn't realize what he had meant until it was already too late.

Cliffhanger! P.S. Yup, extremely short but Redfox had intended to do that, she said the next part SHOULD be coming soon (not if I have any say against that, damn woman needs to learn to keep her feet still...like a child refusing to rest...it's crazy...oh the horror...*shakes head*) the next part will be far longer, with a more extended explanation, for now, she wanted to see what YOU ALL would come up with, on WHO the alchemist is, WHAT happened and WHAT COULD happen next? Happy brainstorming! ;)

P.P.S. Redfox is sending everyone lovely hugs and kisses and once again, thanks Panic for all these wonderful pictures, its making her smile! :)


	47. The One Without a Heart 2

**The One Without a Heart Part 2**

 _What if a forced transmutation went wrong? What if one Alchemist had been forced to preform Human transmutation and instead of Truth directly taking something from her, he threatens to take away her friends, people she cherished most, people she kept close to her heart._

 _In a vain attempt to save her friends, she offered Truth to take whatever he wished, whether it be her organs, her senses or her entire body._

 _Truth grinned with a cruel, twisted smile, "Anything?" He chuckled, "Then how about your heart?"_

 _She didn't realize what he had meant until it was already too late._

No...

It couldn't be...

She frantically gripped at her chest, clutching her shirt, feeling for a heartbeat. Was she dead?

But...she was still standing there..in the meadow near the Rockbell home...it couldn't be...Truth was gone but Ed, Winry, Al, Mei, Greed, Lan Fan and Ling were still all there, unscathed and well.

Truth said he would take her heart...but why did she still feel it beating frantically inside her?

She had expected fear to grip her heart but instead...she felt...nothing.

She looked around and locked eyes with Greed, who stared at her in shock before he shook his head and ran towards her, catching her in his arms as he rested a knee on the grass to lean her on his propped leg, safely cradled in his protective embrace.

With emotionless eyes, she looked at the dead body of the vile alchemist that had forced her to do that transmutation.

She didn't feel anger, resentment, not any of those feelings she was supposed to feel for that cruel man.

She focused on Greed when he uttered her name.

He caressed her face, red eyes frantically searching for any signs of discomfort, anger, fear, _anything_. His eyes scanned over her body.

"What did...what did he take from you?" she had never heard Greed's voice so low, quiet, afraid.

She opened her mouth to speak, but found it difficult to form words, instead she gently caressed his jaw, instead of the warmth of his skin, she felt nothing.

She didn't feel cold, didn't feel pain, nothing.

"Greed..." she uttered the name of the man she loved, wanted to protect, like the rest of her friends.

She rested the side of her face against his chest, listening to the strong, fast beat of his heart. She wished she could feel something, relief, love, anything.

 _Something!_

"Lena..." Al suddenly whispered, falling to his knees with wide eyes as he realized the signs Lena was giving off. It were the same ones he had the first time he had woken up in his suit of armor.

Unable to feel warmth.

"No..." Al whispered in horror, tears stinging his eyes, "He can't!" he shouted in frustration, causing Ed to jump in alarm.

"Al! What the hell happened?! What did the bastard take from her?!" Ed looked back at the kneeling Greed and Lena, feeling panic well up inside of him.

Greed continued to stare at her eyes, eyes that held so much love and affection for him, were now dull, almost lifeless brown. She...

"She can't feel any emotions..." Greed whispered and swallowed hard, his grip on her tightening.

Lena attempted to smile, but it looked forced, not like her usual bright, sunny smiles.

Greed had loved those smiles and he had made it his personal mission to make her smile and laugh and happy as often as possible.

"Truth wanted to take you and the others away from me...I couldn't let that happen, so I told him to take whatever he wanted from me...he took my heart..." Lena said quietly, but she didn't regret it.

Greed, with a shaking, hesitant hand, carefully felt for her heartbeat, it beat steadily beneath his hand but...

"Lena..." Greed breathed out, hugging the body of the woman he loved closer to himself.

"I love you Greed," she placed a hand on his broad shoulder, instead of warmth and comfort and happiness, her words struck a chord inside of Greed, creating a hollow feeling.

"I love you too Lena..." he nuzzled her forehead, kissing it softly, affectionately, shutting his eyes tightly closed to prevent the stubborn tears from falling.

He heard Ed saying something, Winry too as well as Al and Mei, but he shut them off.

Ling and Lan Fan were quiet, still in shock.

Was that even possible? It had been possible for Truth to take Alphonse's soul but was it actually possible to take away human emotions?

"Greed...don't be sad," Lena gently caressed his face, even if she didn't feel anything by it like she usually would, feelings of warmth, cheesy butterflies, racing hearts...nothing...

"I'm here, I love you, I'm just sorry you can't see it in my eyes anymore," she didn't feel anything, not even the deep sadness she wanted to feel, she felt like a shell of her former self.

"Why did you do this...you could have let the bastard take me...I would have survived it damn it!" Greed shouted, gritting his teeth tightly together, sobbing hard.

Just then, Lena smiled what she hoped looked genuine and soft, and caressed Greed's cheek, "I couldn't have let that happen. To any of you. I'll survive this, _we_ will survive this, but I wouldn't have been able to survive it without you or the others with me..."

Greed grasped her hand that was still on his cheek tightly, kissing the inside of her hand lovingly, he let the tears slide down his cheeks, only for her to see.

"Everything will be alright Greed, I know it," Lena said, nuzzling Greed's chest, biting her own lips to not cry.

Was she even capable of crying now? She had no idea.

Truth was cruel.

"Hurt me with the truth, but never comfort me with a lie, you hear me?!" Greed barked, sobbing into her shoulder, hugging her tightly to him.

Lena rested her chin against his shoulder, wishing desperately to be able to feel again.

It was the price she had to pay.

She didn't regret it.

Life isn't fair.

The woman who had felt the most, worried the most, cried the most, went beyond her limits to overcome her fears had been forced to perform the ultimate taboo of alchemy known to mankind. She, who had tried to protect her friends and lover from damnation, had lost the most precious thing to her.

Her heart.

The heart that had cared for her friends and family, had deeply loved the man that had made her a better person, had cried with the victims of war, had laughed in happiness, had protected with all she got and more.

Truth was cruel.

That was a fact. But...did truth stand for justice? For fairness? Could truth be bent? Could it be altered? Was there only one form of truth?

People often lost the things or people they cherished most, truth had a weird sense of irony, that's for sure and a even more cruel sense of humor.

Truth laughed, "Foolish humans," truth had existed with the first human to have ever walked the earth, truth had survived wars, slaughters, evolutions and revolutions, but truth itself had never changed.

Truth was always the same, it always stayed the same. Truth continued to be cruel and merciless.

Those who are confronted with truth end up suffering but it was just like Greed had said.

Hurt me with the truth, but never comfort me with a lie.

Maybe Truth wasn't so cruel after all.

Maybe...just maybe... Truth was misunderstood.

With that, Lena clapped her hands together one last time, the familiar light of alchemy enveloping her.

She found herself standing once again before Truth, which took the form of a faceless woman.

Lena uttered the words, "Take it away, it's all yours but give me back my heart, my feelings,"

Truth grinned widely, sliding a hand down its face, "I've someone like that before you, I wonder if humanity will ever learn," Truth did as told, the giant wall behind Lena crumbling into bits.

When Lena had returned from the Gate, Greed was the first one to approach her.

"Lena! You stupid woman! What the hell did you do?! Where were you?!" Greed looked her all over, afraid she had lost something else.

Lena smiled a heartfelt smile, tears sliding down her cheeks as she smiled warmly up at the man she loved and opened her arms in a hug, "Greed," she uttered his name with so much affection and love that it momentarily caught the Homunculus off guard.

He noticed the change in her eyes, that soft twinkle, the dilated pupils, the deep brown color and the soft, warm smile she bestowed him with.

He didn't waste any time. He swooped her up in his arms, crying openly and spinning her around, making her laugh with tears in her eyes.

As he set her down, with Ed and the others coming to see what had happened, he whispered into her ear with a smile, "You stupid woman,"

Lena giggled, hugging Greed tightly, "I've learned from the best," she nuzzled the side of his head affectionately, crying softly.

"I could have sacrificed my stone..." Greed whispered with regret, tangling his hands into her hair.

She shook her head with a bright smile, "No, there was no need. You and the others were far more important than alchemy could ever be," she laughed again when Greed picked her up.

Greed loved her laugh and he would make sure she would laugh as often as possible.

 **The end of this one shot! Thanks for reading! BTW: Lena is my OC. :)**


	48. Nobody Messes with Daddy!

**Yoo!** Hey my lovely, awesome readers! It's Redfox this time! The one and only! (dramatic music) haha Hi everyone, long time no see huh? I'm not a 100% fit yet but I'll have to be since school is starting on Monday (joy...) before that happens however, I wanted to release a few chapters since I won't be able to once school starts. :)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** haha Really? Well, I may consider it ;) Thank you btw! I was really surprised that Lena is so well-liked, I think you will see more of her in future chapters :D

 **Penguin20:** Hey there, meh, I guess so :P I don't think I would be able to climb a mountain buuut I can run a few laps ^^ There's nothing worse when you have extreme toothache, the wounds in your mouth (from that damn wire) start bleeding AND you get headaches from all that pain...did I mention sleepless nights and hungry days? God those were the worst! .

 **Bob:** Thanks buddy! :3

 **OtakuGirl:** haha will do!

 **Panic:** haha hey there Panic (btw, I love your pics! Thank you so, so, so much!) Aw really? I actually didn't plan on making Lena a big deal but seeing as many like her, I will write a bit more about her. Yeah I feel the same, Greedlingfan is awesome! Well, it never hurts to experiment a little ;) Oh, well, it's pretty simple; Truth sent her back, since he knew she wouldn't be able to return he used the Gate to transport her back to earth. Thanks for the sweet wishes but I'm fine, I'm not feeling dizzy anymore or anything really, besides Jaden is like a mother hen...he would rip me away from my work if he sees I'm short of a burnout XD.

 **Anonymous J:** Ugh, don't even mention that overprotective wacko...haha Jaden's a real sweetheart but he's going overboard...he kept teasing me (because I now have braces) he kept talking like this: arsch you feelingsch betta?, yoush want shome tea?...etc. etc. I'm amazed how I didn't throw him outta the window . Pff, don't worry, Jaden's worse ;) haha Well, enjoy this little piece! :D

* * *

 **Nobody messes with Daddy!**

Lena giggled, twirling her little toddler daughter around by her finger, making her laugh happily, the little girl grabbed her mother's legs and nuzzled them, making Lena kneel down and hug her daughter. She blew softly into her hair, making her giggle and sloppily kiss her mother's cheek.

Lena shook her head fondly when her little daughter tried to climb up the slide. It was a hot day and they decided to go outside and play in the playground a little. Winry, Riza, Lan Fan and Mei have left a little while ago.

"Just like your father...such a troublemaker," Lena shook her head and stood up, standing close to the slide in case her daughter slipped.

"Emi careful," Lena warned, gently but firmly grabbing her arm and helping her walk up the slide the rest of the way. Once she was on top, Emilia clapped and jumped up and down, cheerfully jumping on her mother who caught her safely in her arms.

Lena giggled and spun her around, before setting her down carefully on the floor and kneeling next to her, observing how she played with the sand fondly.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over them both, the fine hairs at the back of Lena's neck suddenly stood on end, her eyes widened in alarm.

She turned her head, looking up at a unknown, tall man wearing black gloves and dark clothing.

She frowned and stood up, standing in front of her daughter protectively, "Yes?" she tried to keep her tone polite.

The man grinned uneasily, "Excuse me, but do you know a man named Greed?" Lena's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Sorry, I don't," she spat firmly, resting her hands on her hips, oh if only she could use alchemy...she would send this bastard flying.

The man frowned, obviously displeased. Lena quickly rushed her daughter behind her back, the little girl looked up at the man she didn't recognize and clutched her mother's sun dress in her little hands, looking very much afraid.

"Oh really? So, that child isn't his? How odd...she has his eyes," the man observed, grinning a slasher smile at the little toddler. The girl frowned in response, hiding behind her mother further.

Brown eyes narrowed, "Red isn't such a rare eye color," she retorted, clenching a hand into a fist.

The woman noticed how the man's hand twitched, almost immediately, Lena rested a hand on the bar near the slide as support and slammed her foot high against the man's face...

Or at least that was the plan.

He was far too quick, side stepping her almost easily and grabbing her and twisting her hand painfully behind her back, Lena growled in pain and warning, Emilia cried out in worry.

"Hoho, no need to attack me. You see, I'm an old friend of Greed,"

Infuriated for being dominated so easily, Lena barked;" Ya see, somehow I find that hard to believe, no offense," she tried to free herself from his grip, violently slamming her head back and attempting to wriggle her hands out of his tight grip, but the man dodged her backward head slam and only tightened his grip painfully.

The man grinned, "You're definitely his woman," Lena really tried to keep quiet, not letting the man have the satisfaction of hearing her pained grunt but when he tightened his grip to the point of intense pain, she couldn't help but release a short, strangled cry of pain.

She opened an eye, locking eyes with her scared daughter, "Emi run!" the little girl stumbled, obeying her mother's panicked words, but she wasn't fully able to walk yet, stumbling continuously.

There was suddenly another man who grabbed the girl by the back of her dress, she squirmed and cried, kicking her legs wildly, little hands reaching out towards her mother.

Lena saw red.

"How _dare_ you touch my daughter!" she lashed out at the man holding her, kicking his shin and wrestling out of his grip. She almost reached her daughter but the man recovered quickly and delivered a swift karate chop to her neck, making her senses and nerves go numb slightly but she still fought him, barking at the man to release her daughter.

A grey, metallic hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere, firmly grabbing the arm of the man holding the little girl up and breaking it, causing the man to cry out in pain and release Emilia, with the other hand the stranger flung the man in black in the air, causing him to slam against a tree a few feet away.

The man holding Lena abruptly released her in fear, he was back.

Greed held his crying daughter in one arm, grocery bags in the other and a silly, pink glittery tiara on his head.

He had a dark, murderous frown on his face matching his voice:" What the hell are you doing to my wife and daughter, _scum_?" Greed dropped the bags, keeping a firm grip around his crying daughter and violently slammed his ultimate shield covered leg against the man's midsection, slamming his head against the concrete and flinging him away.

Emilia cried harder, Greed gently rocked her back and forth, whispering soothingly into her ear as he knelt on the ground to check on his wife, "Are you alright?" Lena smiled warmly, rubbing her crying daughter's back soothingly," Mhm, a bit numb,"

Lena suddenly stood up, a shadow falling over her face as she made her way over toward the whimpering man on the ground, she slammed her foot on his hand, making him cry out in pain.

His cry was interrupted when Lena grabbed his neck and twisted him around to look at her seething face, her short nails digging into his neck harshly, "Listen up, if you go anywhere near my family again or threaten _my_ husband and make _my_ daughter cry, I'll tear off every single limb on your body off of you and beat you up with them until you're dead, got that?" the man's eyes were wide in horror before he ultimately fainted at the horrific images flooding his mind.

Lena released him, stumbling slightly and falling backward until she fell against a broad, strong chest and a strong arm holding her steady.

"Never mind my question," Greed joked lightly, but frowned in concern, "What did he do?" he glared at the pathetic body on the ground.

Lena sighed, rubbing her head, "He hit me on the neck, my senses are slightly dulled but I'm fine," Lena turned in his arms and Greed leaned his head down to kiss her forehead affectionately, resting his hand on the back of his wife's head and rubbing it gently.

He hugged his daughter closer and the little girl snuggled in the safety of her father's arms, calmer now.

"Sorry, next time you're coming with me," Greed apologized softly, Lena smiled and giggled.

"Guess I'm out of shape," Lena sighed tiredly.

Greed rolled his eyes, "Oi, you gave birth to this little troublemaker, course you won't be at your best yet," Greed lovingly caressed his daughters head as he said this making her giggle.

"Thank you," Lena leaned her cheek against her husband's chest as she said this. Greed sat down on the ground, cross-legged, hugging his wife and daughter in his arms, resting his chin on top of Lena's head after kissing it again.

"You can count on me to take care of bastards you can't, doesn't make you any weaker in my eyes," she sighed contently at his words, kissing Greed's jaw in appreciation.

"By the way...what on earth are you wearing?" when she looked up at her husband he looked like he was actually _blushing_ and scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Emilia blinked and giggled, cheering:" Daddy pwetty!" she reached her chubby little arms out to touch Greed's face, he smiled softly.

"Yeah, daddy is very pretty..." Greed mumbled, grinning at his daughter.

Lena tried to muffle her giggles desperately, Greed shot her a dirty look, "Don't even think about it,"

Lena ignored him, "Yes, sweety, daddy looks just like a pretty princess," Emilia and Lena laughed when Greed groaned in exasperation, Lena giggled and kissed his cheek affectionately, making him grin.

He grinned like the devil, just as his wife shot him a suspicious look, Greed dived and gently fell to the ground, tickling his two favorite women in the world.

Emilia screeched with laughter while Lena laughed and tried to tickle her husband back.

"OH MY GOD! HELP! IT'S A PEDOPHILE! HE'S VIOLATING A LITTLE GIRL AND HER MOTHER! HELP!" a achingly familiar male, light voice shouted and hurled a rock at the unsuspecting Homunculus' head.

Greed whirled his head around, eyes shining as red as a demon's with a demonic expression to boot, "Oi...THAT'S MY DAUGHTER AND WIFE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT YA STUPID PISS ANT!"

Greed lunged at Ling, the two men tumbling across the ground and pulling at each-others identical hair.

Lena and Emilia recovered from their laughter, Lan Fan giggled behind her hand, rubbing her bulging stomach, "So, did someone crown Greed a king? That tiara looks very regal," Lan Fan joked, giggling at the pink tiara on the Homunculus' head.

Lena laughed, "Oh it sure does,"

"I BOUGHT THAT FOR MY LITTLE GIRL! IT WAS ON DISCOUNT DAMN IT!" Greed hollered in between trying to strangle Ling, shooting his wife dirty looks.

She only stuck her tongue out at him playfully, smirking a very Greed-like smirk.

 **The end! I hope you guys enjoyed this little piece! :3**


	49. The Perfect Boyfriend List

**Hi everyone!** Thank you all for the best wishes! :) The pain's lessening but I can't say I enjoy the unsweetened tea very much every night (even if it is chamomile) .

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS :**

 **Lily:** haha You're very welcome Lily! ^^ There will be more of Lena to come! BUT I will still write Greedlingfan don't worry! ;)

 **Bob:** haha Yeah, I found Greed hilarious as a uncle so I thought, why not as a dad as well? I bet he would have been such a sweet, doting father (if only FMA hadn't killed him off...T_T) Oh, sure thing!

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** (threateningly waves baseball bat in hand) haha Nah, just kidding! ;) Yeah, I know that BUT since I love Greed to bits and pieces I thought...why not? Poor guy suffered enough, I may write in a few fics that he is actually HUMAN (with a very...greedy nature XD).

 **Guest:** Hi there! Do you maybe mind using a username? It could be anything! Sorry, I just don't like referring to my readers as "guests" ^^". Kimblee and Miles huh? Hm, I don't REALLY ship them as hard but sure thing! I will try! :)

 **Panic:** haha Yeah, I remember when I was little we used to joke that my dad would look so very pretty in a dress (he didn't wear it, he only posed with it while leaning it on his body but it was still hilarious XD) so I thought Greed would be the type of father where he would do anything if it made his little girl happy XD even wearing silly, pink, glittery tiaras while fighting off bad guys lol. Haha Yeah, thanks again :) Nobody ever did that for me before T_T (here come the tears...xd) It's not THAT awful going to school actually, you've got something to do, I just regret not being able to write as much once it starts :P

 **Enjoooy!**

* * *

 **The Perfect Boyfriend List**

 _Winry's Perfect Boyfriend List_

-Taller than me

-smart

-funny

-witty

-strong but I don't mind if he is a bit chubby

-charming

-loyal

-kind and humble

-helpful and understanding

-brave and selfless

-stubborn

-Edward Elric

Winry smiled softly, shaking her head at her own foolish heart as she placed her pen down. No matter how hard she tried, it seemed like she wouldn't get over this silly crush anytime soon. She sighed heavily and folded the piece of paper twice, securely placing it inside of a drawer of her working desk.

* * *

 _Years later, set a few days after the battle with Father_

Ed and Al had returned safely in their original bodies and Winry was happy beyond belief. They had invited all their friends and some good neighbors from Resembool to their house to celebrate the joyous day.

No more threats, no more worrying and sleepless nights if they would return home safely or not...

Winry stopped short in front of her working desk, looking behind her quickly to ensure nobody was there before she opened the top drawer and fished out a folded, slightly faded piece of paper.

With a fond smile, she slowly opened it and plucked a pen from the pocket of her overalls hanging over the chair.

Winry ticked off the last two things on her list.

 _Tall_ and _Edward Elric_

She giggled, quickly stuffing it inside the drawer again when she felt strong, familiar arms wrap around her affectionately.

She couldn't help but shiver when she felt familiar warm lips kiss her cheek, "What was that?" asked a certain Elric curiously.

Winry shook her head with a smile as she turned around in his arms, "Nothing, just a list I needed to check off," Ed rose an eyebrow in question but deduced it may have something to do with her work, so he didn't pry any further and lead her back to where their friends were all celebrating.

* * *

 _Riza's Perfect Boyfriend List_

-brave

-selfless

-strong

-focused

-responsible

-sensible

-understanding and kind

-smart

-logical

-adept at firearms and other weaponry

-loves dogs

-loyal

-not my superior

Riza sighed as she wrote the last thing on her silly list, knowing it would never be possible anyway. She felt irritated with the fraternization laws.

* * *

 _Years later, after Mustang became Führer..._

"Hey Riza, what are you looking at?" Roy Mustang leaned over his wife's shoulder, blinking at what appeared to be a list.

Riza smiled and crossed two things on her list.

 _Not my superior_ and _responsible_.

Roy gasped in mortification, "Hey! I _am_ responsible!" he shot his wife a dirty look as he crossed his arms like a angry child.

Riza giggled, shaking her head at her husband, "Sure you are Roy,"

* * *

 _Lan Fan's Perfect Boyfriend List_

-strong and brave

-fearless

-responsible

-smart

-funny

-kind

-charming

-dorky

-protective

-honest and never lies

-dedicated to me and his people

\- L-

Lan Fan stopped, biting her lower lip as she started to set the pen down until a larger hand wrapped around her own.

She had detected his chi, the chi of Long and Greed, she smiled warmly when he wrote the name, " _Greedling"_ on the slip of paper, before she turned her head around to kiss her Lord and the Homunculus inhabiting his body.

* * *

 _Mei's Perfect Boyfriend List_

-tall

-handsome

-very kind

-Alphonse

-funny

-Alphonse

-loves pandas and cats

-protective and brave

-charming

-dedicated and loyal

-sweet

-Alphonse

Al shook his head and smiled, "Mei, I think I get it now," Mei looked up at the man she loved and smiled brightly at him, flinging the pencil she was holding away and jumping on him, wrapping her arms around his neck as the younger Elric was caught off guard by his girlfriend's overenthusiastic hug.

 **I had fun writing this one ^^ So, opinions?** haha


	50. Letters from War

Hi guys! Yeah, I know, pretty quick, but tomorrow is school and I may have time to update this upcoming week but after that, I'm afraid I won't be able to once things get serious and I'll have to study and pull all nighters (sighs)

 **BTW:** I wrote a few (made up, not really good) quotes on my profile, I was considering basing a chapter on them, tell me what you guys think! ^^

 **Enjoy this one!**

* * *

 **Letters from War**

"I really don't know what to do Riza, it's so boring at home! Sure, I work at the shop but..." Winry Rockbell, trailed off, wrapping the curly string of the telephone around one finger.

Feminine laughter echoed at the other line of the phone, a deeper, more mature female voice sounded:" Well, I was sure your work as a mechanic kept things interesting Winry."

Winry sighed, rubbing her head, "It does, it does but...I don't know, I love my job you know that but I kind of want to try doing something else. You know, something besides my work as a mechanic," Winry pouted, drawing invisible circles on her dark oak desk.

There was a short silence before the woman spoke again, "Why don't you do charity work? Or something along those lines?" one of Winry's oldest friends, Riza Mustang, suggested.

Winry rubbed her chin, thinking for a moment, "Hmm..charity work huh..."

But then Riza had another idea, "Or how about signing up for 'Letters to soldiers'?"

Winry perked up, "Huh? What's that?" Winry rose a fair eyebrow, slightly suspicious since it had the word "soldier" in it, then she suddenly remembered something, "Hey, wait, isn't that what you've mentioned to me before?"

Riza chuckled, "Yes, I've already told you about it. It's a great opportunity to send letters to unknown soldiers overseas, I'm writing Roy letters as well," Winry clenched the phone in her hand.

"Riza...Roy is your husband...that's completely different! And besides, what do I even write about?! I have no idea how to even start a conversation with a guy I don't even know, who is a _soldier_ , who is overseas fighting in a war and who saw things that would normally traumatize a guy!" Winry hollered, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.

Riza giggled at her friend's expanse, "Winry, soldiers miss their home the most. The more you talk about what's currently going on at home gets them interested and happy, you can talk about anything. I know that from experience, when I used to be there on duty I would love to hear about the most banal of things. Calling somebody, writing them or just reminding them that people out there, strangers, actually think of them, gives them the closure they need to continue on fighting. I was very lucky that I had Roy and the others on the battlefield with me," Winry noted the slight sadness in Riza's tone whenever she talked about her time at war.

"Riza, I'm sorry, you know I didn't-" the older woman cut her off softly.

"It's alright Winry, I just want you to know how writing a stranger letters just may save their lives," with that Winry was convinced.

Her parents used to be military doctors and got killed in war by enemy troops. That was the main reason why she usually wasn't _too_ keen on hearing anything from the military. She didn't mind that some of her friends used to work or are still working for the military, like Riza or her husband Roy, who is currently deployed in Xerxis fighting off rogue troops from Drachma.

Amestris was usually in good terms with Drachma, but a large portion of their military power had defected and declared a sort of private war with Amestris and any other land that opposed them and aided the Amestrians in fighting.

"Winry?" Riza asked over the phone, sounding a bit concerned for her friend who still didn't answer her question.

The blonde woman jumped, startled out of her thoughts as she quickly answered;" Y-yes? Sorry Riza, I was lost in thought for a moment there,"

"It's alright, I asked if you are considering signing up for it?" Riza asked, curious to know Winry's answer, given with her past and strained relations to the military.

Winry remained silent for a moment, twirling the telephone cord around her finger before she bit her lip and answered;" Alright...it couldn't hurt right? Besides, if I'm preventing a soldier who's protecting us from giving up hope and dying then...well, my parent's would have wanted too," she smiled, that fact reassured her at least a little about her bold decision.

"Ah, I see. That's very good, you see, I've already signed you up for it," Riza's voice hinted that she was smiling, calmly, but smiling happily nevertheless.

Winry almost fell off her chair and broke the phone in her hand, "YOU _WHAT?!_ " Winry hollered into the receiver, shocked beyond belief that the former sharpshooter would actually do things behind her back like this. She definitely did grew bolder over the years.

Riza suppressed a giggle, "Why yes, I've talked about it with Roy and we thought it would be a great idea. You've already been assigned a soldier to send a letter to," she said it as if she were talking about the weather.

Winry was certain now...all her friends were crazy.

"B-b-but w-wait! Wait up Riza! I-I can't just, wait a minute! Didn't you need my personal information?! Shouldn't I fill out a form or something?! Or even sign the damn thing?!" Winry exhaled loudly through her nose, feeling her temper rising.

Riza waved it off, "Yes but I've taken the liberty of doing that. It wasn't very difficult to forge your signature, your handwriting is rather simple," Winry flushed bright red at the unintentional insult, before calming down slightly by taking a deep breath.

"Riza...why?" Winry asked helplessly, loudly resting her head against the smooth surface of her oak desk.

The ex sharpshooter's voice turned softer, "I'm worried for you Winry, for the past few years you've done nothing but work and occasionally meet with us. While I do believe that you shouldn't rush yourself into relationships you aren't ready to commit to, I do believe that you could at least try to meet someone new for a change,"

Winry opened her eyes, lifting her face from her desk, "You've been worried about me? But I'm doing fine! Really, I am! You know how busy my line of work can get and sometimes I have to pull all nighters! I meet with you, Mei and Lan Fan regularly! It's not like I'm lonely or anything, besides I've got Den here too," Winry patted the dog's head affectionately, who was wagging his tail and licking his owners hand.

Riza sighed, "Winry...you sound like a old lady I've met whose husband passed away and she surrounded herself with cats and dogs," Winry tried hard not to crumble to the floor.

"Well, anyway, General Grumman said you should send the soldier assigned to you a letter for starters. You should send it today and a reply should come within the week or next week,"

Winry ran a hand over her hair, "Me? B-but...I don't even know what his name is! How am I supposed to write to someone who's name I don't even know?! I don't even know what to write!" Winry groaned loudly, covering her eyes with her hand, Den flattened his ears against his skull at the sound of his owner's whine.

Riza chuckled, "I'm sure you will figure something out, I'll call you tomorrow to see how you are doing. By the way, Mei said that she would love to meet us at the city center tomorrow for a coffee after work,"

Winry sighed and smiled, "Alright, I'll be there."

"I'm sure you will thank me once you get to know your soldier better," Winry was _sure_ Riza was smirking.

"I think Roy is rubbing off on you..." Winry commented with a disturbed look, thinking of the Colonel currently deployed near the border of Drachma and fighting off the enemy troops.

"Perhaps he is. Well then, good night Winry, don't forget to send that letter," Winry sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"Yeah, good night Riza. No, I won't don't worry," Winry said before she hung up.

She slumped heavily over her desk, exasperated at her friends.

She peeked one eye open to look down at Den, who had his head tilted to the side in confusion, his owner seemed to be in distress.

Winry smiled a small smile and petted him gently on the head, before she stood up and retrieved a piece of paper from her writing desk. She sat down on it and grabbed a pen, chewing on the end of it and thinking of what she should write.

First of all, she had no idea to _whom_ she was even writing to begin with! She knew he must be deployed where Colonel Mustang was, but other than that, she had no idea who he was, what his name was, anything!

How to start a conversation like that?

"This would be a lot easier if we were face to face..." Winry groaned, tapping the end of her pen against her forehead as she wracked her brain for any ideas.

For starters, she wrote the address of the military institution she would send it to, to Central, and her own full name and address on the side as well.

That was solved. Now came the hardest part.

Winry bit her lip, " _Dear..._ " Winry growled, "Dear _who_?! I can't just write _soldier_! What would he think of me?! It would seriously help if I just _knew_ his first name! God!" Winry grit her teeth together, short of just ripping her hair out in frustration.

"Hmm...what to do, what to do...dear what? Sir? No, that's too formal...or is it? I don't know, that guy's a soldier...maybe he's older than me, what if he's as old as Mustang or even older? I have to write sir...but what if he's younger...that would be so awkward coming from me if I'm close to his age...oh damn it..." Winry sighed, slapping her forehead.

"Oh to hell with it!" she threw her hands up in the air and quickly wrote the greeting down before she changed her mind.

 _Dear sir,_

"Aha! There! Now that I solved this what do I..." Winry froze, realizing _now_ came the hardest part of all, "Ugh! I can't believe it! I'll kill Riza for this! Or wait better not...she was a sharpshooter, she could kill _me_ before I lift a finger! She wasn't called the 'Hawk's Eye' for nothing!"

Then again, Riza's maiden name _was_ Hawkeye, so there was that...

"Ugh no! Concentrate Winry! Come on, you can do this...you can do this girl..." Winry took a deep breath, gulped down a large mouthful of milk and got down to business.

 _Dear sir,_

 _Hello._

She slammed her head painfully against her desk before she forced herself to write.

 _Hello, um, I've never done this before so I'm not sure what to write. How are you?_

Winry rolled her eyes at her own stupidity, "Oh yeah, ask the guy who is a soldier and fighting in the middle of a war how he is...great going Winry..."

 _Sorry, that just sounded awkward huh? I never wrote to someone like you, so I guess I'm a little nervous and all. Do you maybe know a man named Roy Mustang? He is a Colonel deployed at the border between Drachma and Amestris. His wife is a really good friend of mine and it was her in the first place who even set me up on this._

Winry stopped writing, "Great going...come on, stop bashing your friend...I sound mean when I write 'set me up on this'...then again, I _was_ forced..." Winry shook her head, continuing to write on the piece of paper.

 _Anyway, I, um, I hope you're doing fine there. I mean, under your conditions there, I hope you're doing fine and not missing a limb or something. Haha!_

"Please shoot me now." Winry groaned.

 _To keep this short, because I'm pretty awkward as you can see, I honestly hope you don't get injured by the time this letter reaches you, or any other time for that matter. Take care alright? Um, sir!_

Winry slapped herself, before a thought hit her. Wait a minute...she didn't know anything about this soldier but that didn't mean he didn't have to know anything about her either! She could at least write a few things about herself!

 _A few things about me so you know who I am:_

 _My name is Winry Rockbell and I'm working at a mechanic shop, I'm the head mechanic there. I live in Resembool, it's a rather small, humble village near the city, but the people here are really nice and sweet. I have a dog named Den._

Wait...how was she supposed to end a letter like that? Winry's eyes widened.

"Nooooo..." she whined, wracking her brain for some answers.

"Sincerely yours" was way too formal, "love" was too personal, and "bye" just didn't seem right...

With a shaking hand, Winry hesitantly wrote down what would finally seal the stupid letter.

 _-Winry._

"Great going genius..." she mumbled to herself, sighing heavily.

Well, at least that was over. Now time to just put it in a envelope and send it.

Winry stood up to do just that, scribbling her address and name on the front of the envelope.

* * *

 _2 weeks later..._

"Aaron, I've told you to buy spare parts! Not get them from a junkyard! This car is way too expensive and new to have old and rusty parts in it!" Winry scolded, sighing tiredly at her apprentice, Aaron, who was a few years younger than her.

"I-I'm sorry Miss Winry!" the boy almost saluted her as he quickly threw away the rusty old parts aside and jumped into his car, driving out of the garage and driving towards what Winry assumed was looking for spare parts for the Chevvy.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Winry Rockbell?" the postman who just came a few minutes after Aaron left asked.

Winry turned around, rubbing her hands clean on a semi-clean cloth, "Yes that's me," she looked at the envelope he was holding in his hand.

The mailman smiled, "Ah, I'm glad I found you. You've got a letter, I was told it was of utmost importance and to be delivered immediately to you personally," he handed her the letter with the regally looking military emblem on it.

Winry's blue eyes widened, she gaped like a fish for a few seconds until she quickly looked at the mailman in front of her and shakily said;" A-ah yes, yes! Thank you a lot!" she waved as the man left.

Winry stared at the envelope a while longer, before practically ripping it open.

She quickly scanned the contents before pausing and slowly reading them again, sure she was mistaken.

She wasn't.

The soldier she had written to two weeks ago had actually answered her! Personally!

The letter in her hands shook as she read the first sentence of the letter,

 _Hello ma'am,_

 _Wait... you're a MECHANIC?!_

Winry had the sudden urge to throw a wrench at that soldier.

Today was not her day.

 **Part 1 finished!** If you guys will like Part 2 then maybe I could write a separate, mini story about "Letters from War" if you guys agree! :D


	51. Wax Those Legs!

Hi guys! Thank you so much again for supporting my stories! I can't believe I've reached chapter 50! Or rather 50+! O.O It feels so surreal...

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Panic:** haha yeah, I thought of how they would write the lists and the ideas came :3 Glad you liked it! Naww thanks! (wipes tears away with virtual tissue box) Haha yeah, I'm smelling a mini story with that one. Maybe even longer than 5 chapters, depends of course on how many words are written for each chapter, though I don't think it would reach 10 chapters. :)

 **Lily:** Oh sounds cool (and difficult) ^^ Is it a multiple choice test? I hate those 50/50 chances of getting it right or wrong . Is it about cognitive development, psychological disorders, neurological malfunctions? (sorry I'm curious! XD) Well, anyhow, good luck with it! :D Btw: haha thanks, I think after publishing Part 2 I will write it as a extra mini story so stay tuned for that! ;)

 **Cassey:** Hi Cassey! Long time no see/read! :) O.O Ahh yeah! That would be a good idea, though I'm experiencing a sense of déjà vu... I think someone already mentioned that scenario but I forgot...O.O oh god...I'm terrible...I'll write it as soon as I can, promise! BTW: great idea!

* * *

 **Wax Those Legs!**

The bell of the shop rang, alerting the women working inside that a new customer arrived.

Almost immediately, two women, a brunette and blonde, started to whisper heatedly to each-other.

"Oh my god! Who _is_ he? I never saw him here before! I would remember that face and...that body..." the brunette licked her suddenly dry lips, her eyes glued to the new customer, who looked entirely out of place in a shop with lighter colors contrasting sharply with his black clothing.

"But he's looks so familiar! Then again I would never forget such a handsome face! Ohh he's mine toda-" the blonde suddenly got caught off by her boss, a young woman of thirty-five walked past them, smiling at the newcomer.

"Why hello there! Mr. Greed I assume?" the woman smiled, she was taller than her two subordinates but still shorter than Greed, with dark brown curly hair done up in a messy bun, her striking blue eyes hiding a certain mirth behind them.

The Homunculus looked around the shop, then at the woman, "Yeah, I uh...have an appointment now," he scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment and the woman swore he was internally cussing about his predicament.

She smiled and nodded, "This way please," she gestured beyond the friseur section, far back towards a white door.

Greed nodded and followed her, nodding at the women who previously gushed about him, they just about managed to hold themselves upright by gripping the counter in a death grip, blushing bright red at just how _hot_ the man looked like close-up.

They were extremely jealous of their boss right now...

"So, done this before?" the woman asked, leading Greed through several doors.

Greed observed each of the rooms, some doors were open so he quickly took a peek. He quickly decided this would be the last time he would ever come to a place like this.

He saw weird bed-like things that obviously fried whoever laid in it and worst of all, they called _that_ 'tanning'.

"No," was Greed's short, simple reply, his nervousness increasing the more he saw.

The woman laughed, "Oh don't worry honey, it always hurts a bit on the first time but when you do this more often you don't even feel the pain anymore," she turned her head slightly and winked at him. Greed pouted.

"I heard about you in the news a while back. You were the one that helped the famous alchemist Edward Elric rebuilt Ishval right?" Greed sighed in relief, happy to concentrate on something else other than his impending doom.

"Oh, so you heard of me huh? Yeah, I guess, that place was trashed, it took us months to make some progress. Watching kids and rebuilding a whole damn country ain't a piece of cake I tell ya," Greed crossed his arms.

The woman rose an eyebrow, moving forward and opening a door through which Greed walked in, "So, you have children?" now she was curious, while already married to a wonderful man herself, she never heard anything about the Homunculus being off limits.

She heard about Edward Elric and his brother Alphonse being married to a famous mechanic and a princess of Xing, respectively and the Emperor of Xing was married to his personal bodyguard, but other than that, the news didn't reveal anything else.

Greed smiled, "Nah, my nieces and nephews. Wanna see some pictures? Man, they are awesome!" the woman couldn't help but giggle.

After everything she heard about this man, she definitely didn't expect for a formidable man such as himself to be carrying pictures of his nieces and nephews around in his pocket.

As Greed showed her some pictures and pointed to some of them, the woman smiled, "Sounds like you're pretty fond of them,"

Greed safely tucked the pictures into his pants pocket, arching an eyebrow, " 'Course I am, they're my little troublemakers and partners in crime when I'm playing pranks on their parents," he grinned, remembering fondly of those memories.

"Alright Mr. Greed, please take off your pants and socks, you only wanted the legs right? Oh, I'm sorry, I recall your wife called and made that appointment," the brunette placed a finger to her chin in thought.

Greed growled lowly under his breath, "Yeah..whatever...and she ain't my wife...we are friends..." he muttered, thinking of why in all things holy and unholy did Lan Fan decide to randomly make an appointment to a fucking waxing shop.

She must be going crazy from all those pregnancy hormones and shit like that. Greed sighed.

Well...she said it wouldn't be bad, so Greed didn't worry...that much.

After taking off his pants and socks, Greed made himself comfortable on the high bed, placing his muscled arms behind his head leisurely and trying to relax as much as he could.

" Alright Mr. Greed, try to relax, I'll put the wax on now, it's hot," the woman warned, using some sort of weird stick and gathering the sticky, dark green liquid and pouring it slowly over his right leg.

Greed tensed slightly at the unexpected hot thick liquid on his leg but he relaxed soon after, this wasn't so bad. The woman placed some sort of wide strip of paper or whatever on the spot where his leg was covered with the weird sticky liquid.

Aha...

"Hey...this isn't bad at all...a bit uncomfortable but nothing I can't- HAARRRGHHHHHHHH!"

Greed's eyes widened, his hands grasped the bed he was laying on tightly, his claws coated in his shield digging into the soft texture of the bed, his teeth were gritted tightly together, trying to withstand all this...this... _pain_.

Greed panted heavily, feeling his skin burn right there where the sticky liquid used to be, Greed slowly opened his tightly shut eyes and reluctantly looked down at his poor, abused leg.

Violet eyes widened.

What. The. _Hell?!_

"WHAT THE HELL LADY?! YOU ALMOST KILLED ME! THIS IS FUCKING TORTURE! YOU ALMOST BURNED ME ALIVE!" Greed hollered, protectively pulling his legs up to his chest, coating his arms and legs in the ultimate shield and shooting the woman death glares.

She rolled her eyes, men.

"Mr. Greed, I warned you it would hurt a bit the first time. Since I assume you shave your legs, the roots of your hair grew stronger and thicker and it's harder and more painful to pull them out this way," the woman explained, readying another load of the sticky stuff spawned from hell.

Greed burned her alive with his stare alone, "HURT A BIT?! HURT A BIT?! DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA HOW THAT HURT?! AND I DON'T SHAVE MY LEGS, I AIN'T A GIRL! OR THE FULLMETAL RUNT'S BROTHER!" Greed growled like a wounded lion.

"Now, Mr. Greed, you have an appointment and I'm here to make you look like you didn't just flee out of a forest, if you don't cooperate, I _will_ use force understand? Your lady friend gave me permission,"

Greed's eyes twitched, "Lan Fan..." oh he would have a very long conversation with her when he gets, or crawls, home.

She patted his knee, "Come on, straighten up and lay down," Greed blinked at her, miffed by her relaxed behavior.

Did all women simultaneously go bat shit crazy? Was that even possible? Greed had no idea.

He slowly, with a wary look at his torturer at all times, straightened his legs again, gripping the bed and shutting his eyes closed, his head to the side, "Fine, do your thing," he braced himself.

And the pain came.

"ARGHHHH! FUCKING PIECE OF SHI- YAARGHHH!" Greed shouted his lungs out, his arms repeatedly coated in his shield in a reflexive motion.

"I'M GONNA DIG THAT BASTARD WHO INVENTED THIS TORTURE MEHTOD OUT OF HIS FUCKING GRAVE AND PEEL HIS SKIN OFF PERSONALLY!" Greed howled into the room, his eyes rolling into the back of his head at the hot searing pain on his legs.

The woman smiled impishly, throwing away the used strips, "There! Done! Now your other leg," Greed whined, a _manly_ whine, and braced himself for the pain.

The woman pulled the freaking strip off again, "I'M GOING TO KILL LING FOR THIS!"

Again, "WHEN I RULE THE WORLD I WILL BAN THIS SHIT!"

And again, "I YIELD! I YIELD! I WON'T SWEAR AGAIN IF YOU LET ME GO!" Greed slammed his head back, feeling his legs burn.

The woman sighed and rolled her eyes, "Mr. Greed, please roll on your stomach,"

Greed's eyes shot open, "...Why? Whatcha gonna do? Peel my ass off?" he felt violated.

Eye roll, "I have to do the back too," Greed mumbled something under his breath about 'dangerous women' before he reluctantly rolled on his stomach, sweaty hands clenched into fists.

"Do your worst," Greed muttered, eyes tightly shut, body tense.

The woman, unbeknownst to Greed, grinned a small, dark smile and applied the hot wax to his leg.

She pulled.

Greed screamed.

"YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE! THAT WAS SLOW!" Greed tried to keep his wits about him.

The woman giggled, "Whatever do you mean..." she did it again.

"I'LL KILL YOU ALL WHEN I GET OUUUUUTTTT!" Greed's echoing cries could be heard from outside the studio.

* * *

 _A few hours later..._

"Hmm...he's gone for pretty long hasn't he..." Ling commented, perplexed on where Greed was. He should have already been back by now.

Lan Fan rubbed her chin, "Yes...it's odd. He went to the appointment hours ago..."

The door suddenly, violently slammed open.

Ling jumped, "G-Greed?" he blinked owlishly at his best friend, who looked...worse for wear.

Blood shot eyes, hands coated in his ultimate shield, pants ripped off at the knees, revealing bright pink, hairless muscular legs, hair fizzy and undone from its pony tail.

"You piss ant..." Greed growled lowly, stalking toward Ling like a lion would its prey.

Ling's instincts were telling him to run and hide, he was sure Greed would kill him.

"COME HERE AND FACE MY WRATH LIKE A MAN!" Greed hollered as he lunged at the terrified Emperor, tearing the furniture to shreds as he tried to catch Ling, who was running all over the place like a monkey.

"IT WAS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD GREED! YOU'LL GET USED TO IT WITH TIME!" Ling shouted back, Greed coming fearfully closer to him.

"WITH TIME?! I'LL RIP OUT EVERY ROOT OF YOUR HAIR OUTTA YOUR SKULL BEFORE I'M GOING BACK THERE!" Greed sped up, making Ling frantically increase his own speed.

Lan Fan sighed, contently sipping her tea with a small smirk as she sent Winry, Mei and Riza a text over her phone.

 _"_ _Mission accomplished,"_

 **Hihi...what do you think? ^^**


	52. What's He to You?

**Hello my lovelies! :)** As you can imagine, I haven't been on fanfiction, just checking my mails, so I haven't been able to write on ANY stories unfortunately. I'm actually (with A LITTLE persuasion from my oh so wonderful friends ^^) running for class president right now, but I'm not sure if I will actually get the position again so yeah, a bit stressful. Not to mention all the organizational things to be done until we REALLY have to start studying our asses off . I'm booked...literally... I'm also helping out a few friends with English after school, something like "study sessions" with me acting as a sort of teacher ^^" Eheh...yeah...stressful..

Right, sorry, I've got a lot on my mind atm. (sweat drop)

 **BTW:** Would anyone like for me to write a one shot titled "Bad Boy", it can be any pairings, but somehow I see Greed in it (lol) ^^

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Jadasimone16:** Wow...that's a really cool idea! *.* haha I will definitely write that up in a jiffy! ;)

 **Lily:** Ah really? Cool! So how did it go? Did ya get the test results yet? Ah, yeah, I heard about the youtube update, many friends of mine told me it was shitty (sorry for the language :P). Hmm...odd...I still didn't get those changes (guess I'm lucky I didn't yet) haha, that's ok, you (and the rest) can rant as much as you want ;) I do that too (sweat drop)

 **Pouda-P:** haha Thanks a lot! :D

 **Panic:** Thanks Panic :) ...Do you by chance are able to read MY mind? Haha I'm actually working on that one, it's still in progress because a) school got in the way . and b) I still didn't fish out all the ideas buuuut it's finished NOW! ;)

 **Enforcer Ginoza:** haha why thank you! ^^ I'm always really glad to hear people like to read my stories :3 Ah, with spin-offs you mean reader's requests + my own ideas right? Don't worry, got that all noted, I think I'll update in the weekend if my schedule allows it. :)

 **I hereby present you...the next one shot IDEA 13 "What's He to You?"! Part 2 of "Letters from War" is coming soon!**

 **INFO ON THE CHAPTER, PLEASE READ:** Chess is played on a square board of **eight rows** (called **ranks** and denoted with numbers **1 to 8** ) and **eight columns** (called **files** and denoted with letters **a to h** ). The colors of the 64 squares alternate and are referred to as "light" and "dark" squares. (taken from _Wikipedia)_

 **What's He to You?**

 _"_ _Every Pawn is a potential Queen" quote by James Mason._

 _What's a mob to a king?_

Truth looked down at the humans, creatures far beneath his own status the mortals called 'God'. Truth rested a hand on the side of his face, chuckling with a wide, toothy grin.

"Humans...such interesting creatures..." a chess board appeared in front of him, one of the figures, the black ones, moved its pawn on file "E" forward by a square, the player on the other side invisible. Ah, Pe3 (A/N: Pe3, for those who don't play chess or don't know, is when you move your pawn, on the black side, from file "E" moves to number 3, the number is normally displayed on the side of the board).

Truth smiled, moving his own pawn forward by two squares, Ph5, "Pawns...lesser beings, doomed to obey the commands of the Rook, the Knight, the Bishop, the King, the Queen...yet a essential piece, if lost, posed a problem to the carefully crafted system." Truth observed his seemingly invisible opponent, a figure only he could see.

The invisible opponent moved another black pawn forward, this time on file "C" by two squares, Pc4. Truth did the same, mirroring his actions, a Pc5 on his side, "A King's power is absolute, a King must be obeyed...would you willingly expose your King to potential threats?" Truth's invisible, perhaps even non-existent opponent gave no answer, moving the black pawn forward on file "B" by one square, before the motion stopped, it was a Pb2.

Truth smiled, moving his rook on "H" next, forward by two squares, which meant a Rh6, "Leading a country is no small matter, or is it? I wouldn't know, I only rule over the universe!" Truth laughed maniacally.

He stopped when there was no response from his opponent, frowning, "Ahh, in no mood for jokes I see? How disappointing, I thought you would provide more of a...challenge,"

Truth's frown deepened when his opponent suddenly moved the black knight in a "L" formation forward, in a move obvious made to threaten Truth and his formation. The black Knight, previously standing stationary at file "G", moved forward to the right in a "L" formation, landing on block "H" on a white square. Which meant the black Knight was currently Kh3 (A/N: the black Knight moved from his position on G1 to H3 on the chess board).

Truth's invisible mouth formed in a thin line, white fingers moving his rook to the right, landing on the white square on file "G", forming a Rg6.

A moment later, his opponent's invisible hand moved the black Bishop, from block "F" to "E" on a white square, Be2 (A/N: the Bishop figure, which previously stood on F1, had been moved to E2, which makes it stand in front of the King). Truth rose an eyebrow, if he allowed the next action his opponent would make when it was his turn, Truth would risk losing his pawn on block "H" on a white square, Ph5.

If that happened, his opponent would steal his rook, by eliminating him diagonally and taking away his rook, since the black bishop would stand on H5 and his own white G6.

Truth thought for a moment, before a wide toothy grin spread out on his face.

"Have you decided yet what to do old friend?" Truth asked, taunting.

Black Bishop took out Truth's white pawn on H5, Truth's smile faltered.

"I see," offered one known as "God".

His invisible opponent remained silent, waiting Truth's turn.

Truth stopped to look at his opponent for a long minute, until he suddenly started to laugh and rest a hand on the side of his face.

"How foolish of me, you have already planned what to do from the start, didn't you?" Truth grinned toothily and the chess board disappeared, "What can I say, I may be God, but I accept defeat when I sense it,"

The still yet to be revealed companion of Truth remained still, Truth rose a eyebrow, "Oh? You're oddly quiet today,"

A chess piece, the pawn, suddenly appeared in Truth's right hand, a grin was on his face as he turned the piece in his hand, observing it intently.

"The pawn...the weakest piece in the game and yet can decide the player's fate in one way or another. Pawns are your first wall of defense or offense, if you don't play your cards right from the beginning, you have no hope of winning the game, isn't that right?" Truth stopped, another piece appeared in his hand, the King.

"The King...many consider him to be the most important piece of the game, as the game ends if you topple the king. It's similar to the human world, they wage wars with each-other, destroy each-other's existence, use alchemy to kill their own kind...if the king falls, the war is lost, and with it, his people."

Silence ensued.

"Imagine, a chess game is an empire, you lead it by example, you counter your opponent's moves carefully, monitor him, observe him, deceive him, _destroy_ him. Yet no matter how you play, if you capture the King, your fate has already been sealed," the King piece vanished from Truth's hand and another appeared.

It was the Queen.

"the almighty Queen...you see, it is actually her that is the most important piece. In Chess, you have a check if you take away the Queen first, but by taking away the Queen, leaves the King very vulnerable, as the Queen is able to attack and move in any direction and protect her King. The Queen is the supporting main pillar for the king, for if the Queen ceased to exist..." Truth looked at the emptiness before him.

"...The king would too,"

Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of Truth.

Sitting cross-legged, in a similar position to Truth himself, the figure smiled a similar toothy grin as the all powerful being before it.

"Checkmate, Truth," the figure said, the King piece, the white one from Truth's side, disappearing in the figure's human hand.

Truth smiled a sardonic smile, stretching a hand outwards, "Even a pawn has the potential to be Queen, don't they?"

Edward Elric grinned, disappearing what appeared to be in thin air.

The only thing left from where he was sitting was the lonely piece of the _black_ King on the formless ground.

Truth smiled.

 _What's a king to a god?_

"We...we can't win..." Roy Mustang grit his teeth tightly together in anger, clawing at his face, knowing it was no use.

Darkness.

It was all he could see now.

He was blind from his forced human transmutation. He had lost his Lieutenant in the midst of battle, he was worried for her, where was she? Was she hurt?

Father seemed to have been rampaging, killing any and all standing in his wake.

Roy cradled his face in his gloved hands helplessly, breathing heavily, blood and the sounds of battle and anguish all around him pumping in his ears, his heart accelerated, adrenalin coursing through his veins like poison, his vision robbed of him.

"Arghh!" Roy heard Ed cry out in pain, he heard a explosion, shouting and then a loud crash.

Nothing.

"Fullmetal?" Roy coughed from how dry his throat was, but he swallowed it down and stood up on shaky legs, "Fullmetal?" he called out again.

Where was the kid?

"Fullmetal!" Roy looked around but it was no use, darkness accompanied him now wherever he went, without Riza by his side, he was useless.

Nonetheless, Roy started running in the direction where he heard Edward crying out and the crash, until he tripped on something heavy on the ground.

He fell heavily to the ground, his knees scrapping badly against the hard concrete as he hissed in pain.

He turned his head, frantically feeling the ground with his gloved hands until he froze when his hand grabbed a leg.

 _No._

Roy crawled on his knees and when he grabbed a braided pony tail in his hand, he knew who was laying on the ground.

It was Edward Elric.

 _No!_

It couldn't be...was it all lost? Did Father, who claimed to be a God, win?

He heard the Homunculus Greed screaming, heard the battle sounds as he stood up, feeling numb and deeply shaken.

He looked up at the sky, or rather upward, his vision consumed by blackness.

He may not be Führer...but not even the Führer himself would be able to stop this...one sided annihilation. Were they, humans, were they so very inferior to Father, to this...race called Homunculi? Were they truly so powerless?

Moisture gathered at the corner of Roy's eyes, the sting came next, then the wetness trailing over his cheek.

It was over.

They couldn't beat Father, no matter how hard they tried. Roy was a season veteran, he knew how a losing battle looked like without having to set his eyes on it.

His Lieutenant wasn't there to guide him, to give him coordinates to attack, according to the last updates he had received, many were injured, some were dead, the Xingese warrior Lan Fan was critically injured, Mei was barely able to stand, Alphonse was laying on the ground, his armor half torn open along with his arms, unable to perform alchemy. The only available fighters had been Greed, Edward and Roy himself.

Ed was out for the count.

Roy was blind, he had no idea where his current position was, where the enemy was, nothing. No matter how powerful both the Homunculus and the Xingese prince Ling were together, they were no match alone for their enemy that claimed to rival God himself.

Roy felt the hot tears slide down his cheeks, knowing the end was drawing nigh.

How could a king, who sat so high on his throne, be crushed so easily?

Maybe there was nothing that could stop a God from becoming evil and destroying the world...

 _What's a God to a nonbeliever?_

An illusion.

An excuse for humans to justify their actions.

 **The end for now! Future chapters may be delayed though!**


	53. Letters from War 2

Yo everyone! Oh god...I'm damn nervous! The elections for class president are next week! Though I doubt I will be president again, I can still hope :P haha Anyway on with the story!

 **QUESTION:** Say, did anyone notice the **last** sentence of the previous chapter (What's He to You?) at the paragraph " _What's a mob to a king?"_ when Truth and Ed are done playing chess. **WHAT** did Ed leave when he left? I marked it specifically for you guys to see! :3 I'm just curious if anyone noticed who **REALLY WON** the chess game. **HINT:** Ed was **_black_** and Truth was playing with the white figures. Was it really checkmate for _Truth_?

ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:

 **Lily:** Really? :( Oh I see, I'm sorry about that. BUT since I'm a optimist (and unfortunately enough, a harsh realist when the time calls for it) I say, DON'T WORRY! There WILL be more tests and exams coming up (personally, I'm waiting for my death sentence lol) Like I always say, one day it's raining buckets and the next the sun is shining! Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain! A quote I very much favor and try to follow! :) Sorry for my rambling, like I said, don't give up! ;) O.O WHAT?! Nooooo! (hides in a corner) No, no, no! I _FORGOT_ your request?! Oh god! Please forgive me! I will write it up as soon as I can! (wallows in misery) How could I forget requests like that?! I'm so sorry Lily! .

 **Cassey:** haha Thanks so much Cassey! :) Well, my friends keep teasing me about the fact that I'm the only one who can talk to teachers without thinking of running away lol. Not to mention they keep calling me a nerd...ugh...

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** Hihi thanks! :D I'm counting the days somewhat excitedly I have to admit! (scratches head in embarrassment) hahaha Thank you, I just realized that there aren't many fics with Truth...so I intend to change that! Even if many people don't read my stories :) Ah, a part 2? Well, I actually haven't planned on it. I purposely left out the ending, to leave it to your (the reader's) imagination on how the fight would end. There are many possibilities after all, Ed may have woken up, Al would have preformed alchemy in order to restore Ed's arm, Greed may have tricked Father into submission...etc.

 **Bob:** Black Butler huh? I get asked that a lot I don't know why lol. Well, I've seen PARTS of it but not the whole anime no. :)

 **CrazyCat:** Hi there! Uh...(face palm) Man, I remember having been tired when I wrote that...I guess what I meant to say was Winry had been not CRYING but she HAD tears in her eyes, kept trying to force them down, coughing slightly...etc. I guess using "sobbing" wasn't the best idea (since sobbing actually means crying hard .) Thanks for the tip! I'll change it right away! :)

 **Panic:** Wow, really? Thanks Panic! :) haha Well, I'm just an amateur writer, but hearing such compliments really makes me love writing even more than I already do! ;) haha Yeah, I guess, as I said, I'm working on it, but I should post it soon! (since I have to add the one request I, unfortunately forgot, Lily's request about the thing with Bido and Greed). ^^" Thanks so much! It's going ok!

 **ATTENTION! PART 2 OF** "Letters from War" ahead!

 **Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

 **Letters from War Part 2**

 _"_ _Excuse me, are you Miss Winry Rockbell?" the postman who just came a few minutes after Aaron left asked._

 _Winry turned around, rubbing her hands clean on a semi-clean cloth, "Yes that's me," she looked at the envelope he was holding in his hand._

 _The mailman smiled, "Ah, I'm glad I found you. You've got a letter, I was told it was of utmost importance and to be delivered immediately to you personally," he handed her the letter with the regally looking military emblem on it._

 _Winry's blue eyes widened, she gaped like a fish for a few seconds until she quickly looked at the mailman in front of her and shakily said;" A-ah yes, yes! Thank you a lot!" she waved as the man left._

 _Winry stared at the envelope a while longer, before practically ripping it open._

 _She quickly scanned the contents before pausing and slowly reading them again, sure she was mistaken._

 _She wasn't._

 _The soldier she had written to two weeks ago had actually answered her! Personally!_

 _The letter in her hands shook as she read the first sentence of the letter,_

 _Hello ma'am,_

 _Wait... you're a MECHANIC?!_

 _Winry had the sudden urge to throw a wrench at that soldier._

 _Today was not her day._

Winry rubbed her forehead in frustration as she read the letter from her mysterious soldier.

 _Hello ma'am._

 _Wait, you're a MECHANIC? Huh...never met a female mechanic before... Did you say Resembool? That's the place I grew up in! I've heard the name Rockbell before but I never knew the military doctors had a daughter...huh, weird._

 ** _Sir_** _? Oh man, do I look eighty to you? I'm in my mid twenties woman, 'sir' makes me feel older than Mustang! Hah,_ _ **know**_ _him, I've traded fists with that pyromaniac before! He's my superior (unfortunately) and he's leading my unit at the border of Drachma. Wait a second...you know his_ _ **wife**_ _? Oh shit, Hawk's Eye?! You know Hawk's Eye and actually LIVE? Wow, remind me to get your autograph once if I return, nobody's ever returned alive after a encounter with her. She has a more fearsome reputation than that idiot husband of hers that's for sure._

 _Ah, that's okay, this thing is new to me too. Haha, I'm fine I guess, what about you? Well, uhh, if it helps any, I didn't really expect for anyone to write to me. I mean, I've heard about the sending letters to soldiers thing but I never really expected for someone to actually send me a letter, then again, I don't think you had much of a option huh?_

 _Right...So, Winry huh? I'm Edward, Edward Elric. I, uhh, I guess I should write some things about me too huh? I bet it's freaky as hell writing to a guy you never met before._

 _As I said, my name's Edward Elric. I'm a Captain working under Colonel Mustang, we are currently fighting off the troops at the border but I think you don't wanna hear that, not a real conversation topper is it? Um, yeah, I'm not very good at this...sentimental stuff, my brother has a better way with words than me, that's for sure. You have a dog named Den? Cool! I always wanted a dog but Al always wanted cats..._

 _Well, I hope I ain't too creepy for the first time writing a letter, like I said, I'm not really good at it. Oh and about the thing with not knowing what to write about? Same here. I actually really miss home, so anything from home goes for me. Even if it's about the newest gossip in town, I don't care._

 _Oh, sorry, duty calls. Uh...I never done this before and I don't really know how to end this sort of thing but uh...reading you soon?_

 _-Captain Edward Elric, at your service!_

Winry couldn't resist the half snort, half laugh that escaped her lips as she read the end.

"So...he's a captain huh?" Winry muttered to herself re-reading the letter again, her right eye twitched in severe annoyance.

"Oh I'm gonna show him what a great mechanic I am! Damn, stupid soldier thinks he's so much better!" Winry grit her teeth, nearly crumbling the letter before she took a calming breath and tucked it into its envelope safely and into her purse. She would reply in the afternoon after work.

* * *

 _Afternoon_

Winry furiously tapped the end of her pen against her head, chewing on her bottom lip and tapping her fingers against the polished wood of her desk in distress.

"Hmm...his name is Edward Elric...I've heard of the name Elric before...where did I hear it..." Winry groaned in frustration, her right leg twitching when she heard the doorbell rang. She grudgingly stood up and went to answer the door.

Winry opened the door and was surprised to see Mei, Lan Fan and Riza standing there, each carrying two paper bags in their arms.

Winry's stomach growled when she smelled something delicious in the air, "Hi you guys, what's up?" she rose an eyebrow, slightly miffed at their sudden appearance, not that she wasn't glad to see them either way.

Mei grinned brightly, "Hey Win! We thought to stop by and have dinner together, we heard you had a long shift and thought why not spend some time together?"

Riza and Lan Fan nodded, smiling warmly at Winry. Winry couldn't help but smile back, feeling a warmth in her heart at how sweet and thoughtful her friends were.

"Thank guys, come on in," she opened the door wider and the three women entered the house, taking off their shoes before going to the kitchen to get some plates for their food.

"Oh? Coke huh?" Winry smiled, "A-and wine? Wow, I guess you guys are planning on staying longer?" Winry sweat dropped, scratching the back of her neck.

Lan Fan smiled, "It's a joyous occasion after all, we heard your soldier replied to you today," Winry couldn't help but slap her face.

"Ugh...he's _not_ my soldier, he's just some cocky jerk! Can you guys believe it? He's shocked that _I'm_ a mechanic, because apparently he never met a female mechanic before! Ugh, men," she shook her head, grabbing red wine glasses for each of them and opting to sit on the couch.

As they all unraveled their respective hamburgers and set the bowl of fries in the middle of the rather large round table, the friends started chatting.

"Say, what did he write in that letter?" Riza asked curiously, which made Winry suspicious of the former sharpshooter.

Normally Riza wasn't one to pry but thanks to Winry and Mei, the usually more stoic and closed off woman had opened up to them and was more open about her feelings, the same went for Lan Fan. Though the Xingese martial arts teacher was a tougher nut to crack than Riza, a single mention of _him_ and she would melt like ice in hell. Heh.

"Listen what that...that punk wrote! How rude!" Winry quickly retrieved the slip of paper, clearing her throat and beginning to read it aloud.

" _Hello ma'am! Wait, you're a MECHANIC? Huh...never met a female mechanic before... Did you say Resembool? That's the place I grew up in! I've heard the name Rockbell before but I never knew the military doctors had a daughter...huh, weird. –_ Huh, how rude! As if he never heard of women also doing a man's job! And he even says he comes from Resembool! Why didn't I ever hear anything about him? Why didn't I ever meet him? Resembool isn't that big! Everyone knows everyone!" Winry groaned loudly in frustration, itching to grab a wrench and-

Riza rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "Hmm...continue,"

Winry rolled her eyes, " _Sir? Oh man, do I look eighty to you? I'm in my mid twenties woman, 'sir' makes me feel older than Mustang! Hah, know him, I've traded fists with that pyromaniac before! He's my superior (unfortunately) and he's leading my unit at the border of Drachma. Wait a second...you know his wife? Oh shit, Hawk's Eye?! You know Hawk's Eye and actually LIVE? Wow, remind me to get your autograph once if I return, nobody's ever returned alive after a encounter with her. She has a more fearsome reputation than that idiot husband of hers that's for sure."_ Winry rose a eyebrow at her older friend, who looked proud for some reason.

"Uhh...Riza? Just how good were you in military again? I know you were the best in your sharpshooter unit but..." Winry lamely pointed to the letter, itching for answers.

Riza calmly drank her wine, "Hm...it seems that soldier has heard of me and works under Roy in his unit. Well, I was just a rank under Roy while I was still in duty and I was the best among the whole squad if I do say so myself. I've been offered the rank of General many times but I had the impression it wasn't right for me to accept it,"

"WHAT?! But _why_?! Hell, do you know the _salary_ you would have gotten with high a rank such as General!?" Winry shouted, flabbergasted at her friend's decision.

Mei scratched her head, "Yeah, that's pretty odd, Riza. I would have accepted such a position within a second!"

Riza chuckled at her friends, "I've had my fair share of fights and war, Roy will soon achieve his dream, he has already achieved it partially by becoming General himself." She smiled at her friends and Winry was content enough with the answer. She continued to read.

 _"_ _Ah, that's okay, this thing is new to me too. Haha, I'm fine I guess, what about you? Well, uhh, if it helps any, I didn't really expect for anyone to write to me. I mean, I've heard about the sending letters to soldiers thing but I never really expected for someone to actually send me a letter, then again, I don't think you had much of a option huh?_ –He got that right,"

When Winry looked up, she found all her friends glaring at her disapprovingly. She rose a fair eyebrow, "What? What did I say?"

"I think the solider is kind enough, don't you think you're being too harsh on him Winry? I don't think he sounds cocky or bad at all," it was Lan Fan who said this, sipping a bit of her wine.

Winry's eyes almost bulged out in shock, "Wha- _WHAT?!_ ME?! B-but...but _why_? I think he's a jerk!" Winry crossed her arms. Mei suddenly giggled, which promptly received a scathing glare from Winry.

"I think Lan Fan is right, you should go more easy on him. I doubt his situation at the border is sunshine and rainbows so why not ignore his comment about you being a mechanic and instead try to be nice to him?" Mei suggested gently, knowing how temperamental her friend can become.

Winry sighed in defeat, "Fine...maybe I'll not give him a hard time...but I'll still chew him out for that mechanic comment!" with that promise made, she continued.

 _"_ _Right...So, Winry huh? I'm Edward, Edward Elric. I, uhh, I guess I should write some things about me too huh? I bet it's freaky as hell writing to a guy you never met before._

 _As I said, my name's Edward Elric. I'm a Captain working under Colonel Mustang, we are currently fighting off the troops at the border but I think you don't wanna hear that, not a real conversation topper is it? Um, yeah, I'm not very good at this...sentimental stuff, my brother has a better way with words than me, that's for sure. You have a dog named Den? Cool! I always wanted a dog but Al always wanted cats..."_ when she finished reading, Mei was gripping Lan Fan's arm so tightly that the martial arts teacher tried to pry her friend off of her without injuring the shorter female.

"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" Mei almost screeched, causing Winry to jump and Riza to raise a eyebrow in question at the bubbly girl's sudden behavior.

"DID HE JUST SAY AL?! DID HE SAY HIS NAME WAS EDWARD **_ELRIC_**?!" Winry nodded mutely, holding the letter in front of her as a shield in case the Xingese woman suddenly turned crazy and attacked her.

"I KNOW HIS BROTHER ALPHONSE! HE'S MY BOYFRIEND!" Mei gushed happily, suddenly transforming into a puddle of goo on the couch at the mere mention of her boyfriend. Lan Fan calmly drank her wine, already used to her friend's random outbursts about her boyfriend.

Then again, Winry or the others may have never seen Alphonse in person, from the stories Mei has told them, he was a really sweet and kind man. Winry asked a few times that how comes such a kind soul like Alphonse would even join the military, Mei would always reply it was to keep an eye on his older brother, who obviously had a penchant for getting into trouble.

"So...how is Edward Elric then?" Winry leaned in, intrigued.

Mei smirked, "Oh wouldn't you like to know," she snickered at Winry's frown, " Well...actually, I never met his brother since he applied to the military sooner than Alphonse did. But from what I heard from Alphonse, he said he was the best brother in the whole world! He had a fiery temper, but was very kind and sweet. He also told me he was a bit closed off, due to having lost their mother at a young age and estranged from their father. I met his father, he was really nice. Alphonse said, that he and Edward have a rocky relationship," Mei mused, a finger on her chin.

Winry pondered the information silently, leaning back in her couch, eyes scanning the letter.

"So, will you write to him back? I hope so," it was Riza who said this, leaning in slightly towards Winry, tearing the younger woman from her thoughts.

"Oh, I uhh...y-yeah I guess." Winry remained silent and when she looked up, she almost jumped at how close her friends were to her face, "K-knock it off guys!"

The women leaned back, sighing heavily.

Lan Fan wondered aloud, "Why not ask him how he looks like? Maybe he looks similar to Alphonse, it would make sense considering they are brothers,"

Winry blinked, "I-I'm not going to ask him that! He will think I like him or something! Uh..." she looked at Mei, "By the way, Mei, how does Alphonse even look like?"

Mei blinked in confusion for a few minutes, then it hit her, she never actually told them how he looked like!

Mei scrambled through her pockets to search for her phone, "A-ah, I'm sorry! I'll show you guys a picture!"

She quickly scrolled through her gallery and in a relatively short time, found the picture she was looking for.

"Here it is!" she proudly flashed the screen of her phone at her friends, showing them a tall, golden haired man standing next to Mei, an arm around her shoulders, a adorable blush on his cheeks as she went on tip toes to kiss his cheek, he was clad in a white dress shirt and simple black pants, smiling brightly despite his shyness. It was a picture of cuteness.

"How cute! You guys are so cute!" Winry gushed, smiling.

Riza nodded her approval, "Yes, Alphonse is quite the handsome boy," she winked at Mei, whose cheeks began to heat up.

Lan Fan smiled softly.

"Wait..." Winry narrowed her eyes to see better, "Does he have... _golden eyes_?!" her own blue eyes widened.

Mei looked at the screen then at her friend, "Oh yeah, he does. Didn't I ever tell you? Sorry! That's in the family. His father also has golden eyes. I love his eyes!" Mei fawned over the picture, rubbing it against her cheek and kissing Alphonse's face on it.

Winry shook her head at her friend's actions, "Wow...I never saw a person with gold eyes before...I wonder if his brother also has them..."

All the women, minus Winry, wiggled their eyebrows suggestively at the blond, who batted them away like annoying flies, her face turning an interesting color of pink.

"Read the letter till the end! Come on!" Mei cheered, excited for the ending.

Winry rolled her eyes and with a sigh, continued reading:" _Well, I hope I ain't too creepy for the first time writing a letter, like I said, I'm not really good at it. Oh and about the thing with not knowing what to write about? Same here. I actually really miss home, so anything from home goes for me. Even if it's about the newest gossip in town, I don't care. Oh, sorry, duty calls. Uh...I never done this before and I don't really know how to end this sort of thing but uh...reading you soon? -Captain Edward Elric, at your service!"_ Winry snorted again at the ending, rolling her eyes.

"That was nice! I think he's a bit shy too! 'Reading you soon' so romantic!" Mei cupped her blushing cheeks, living off in La La Land, ignoring Winry's vehement protests.

"That's _not_ romantic!" Winry growled.

"Why don't you write him now?" Riza asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Winry crossed her arms, holding the letter oddly protectively in her hand, "No, I will reply once you are out of my house. I'm not dumb to start writing with you match makers right here!" she huffed.

All the women laughed, playfully bantering with each-other throughout late in the night.

* * *

As the women excused themselves and bid Winry a good night, the blonde closed and locked her door, slumping against the hard wooden surface of it tiredly.

She yawned, looking at the clock.

 _12:00 am huh?_

She stretched her arms above her head, spotting the letter sitting innocently on her writing desk.

"Well...I guess it isn't too late to reply," with that thought in mind, Winry grabbed a pen, a new piece of paper, and began to write.

 _Hi Edward,_

Winry rose an eyebrow, testing his name again aloud. It rolled off her tongue nicely. She liked it. She continued writing.

 _Wait, you grew up in Resembool too? And do_ _ **I**_ _look eighty to you?! Stop calling me ma'am! It makes me feel old! Mid-twenties huh? I'm_ _ **25**_ _years old in case you're wondering! I'm not that old yet!_

 _Oh wow, really? Yeah, Riza is a good friend of mine. I've met Mr. Mustang on occasion. You make Riza sound like a monster! She's really nice! Maybe a bit rough around the edges at times, but still very nice and kind! Unlike you! Pff, asking me if I really were a mechanic! Of course I am! I wouldn't lie about my profession!_

Winry furrowed her eyebrows.

 _I'm fine...thanks. A bit tired, it's 12:00 am here and yeah...why would you think that? I'm sure a couple of people wrote letters to you before, it's true I didn't get to choose but..._

She stopped. Should she really write that?

 _I guess you aren't a bad guy._

She face palmed. How old was she? Six?

 _W-what I mean is, I just don't understand how you never got a letter, that's all. Never mind._

Winry had to giggle at what she wrote next, a smile playing on her lips.

 _Creepy? Maybe. Well, I don't know how you look like or what you're like, but I guess you're nice enough. If it helps any, I know Mei Chang, I think you know her, she's the girlfriend of your brother Alphonse. I can't believe your brother has golden eyes! Do you have them too? They're amazing!_

"Oh god! I sound like a fan girl!" Winry slammed her forehead against the desk, "Should I rewrite it? Or maybe just leave it? I hope he won't notice it too much," she whined, opting to simply leave it and pray that he won't focus too much on it.

 _Right, well, I wouldn't mind hearing how it is on your side. I doubt you have much time to talk about it, so I would be happy to help with that. I don't know much about the military, or what soldiers actually do once they are in the middle of the battlefield. Do they just lurk behind bushes and wait to shoot their enemy? Or do they keep making plans on how to gain the upper hand? Sorry, maybe I'm watching too many movies. Den and I watch them together and he mostly falls asleep before I do._

Winry covered her mouth, as if she vocally said the words she just wrote. Did that sound too...desperate? Lonely? Was this ok to write? Was she exaggerating? Winry rubbed her hands down her face in frustration, running another hand through her hair, "Ugh...I can't believe writing letters is this hard..."

Winry bit her bottom lip, looking up at the ceiling, trying to think of what to write next. Her eyes lit up in excitement when she suddenly remembered a detail he wrote in his letter.

 _Wait! You said you were a captain right? How is it? Being captain I mean? It's a bit below General right? Do you also command the unit or give out orders? And with whom are you in the team? I'm sorry for asking so many questions, I guess I'm curious since I never actually talked, or wrote, to a soldier before._

Winry took a deep breath.

 _Since you mentioned gossip, do you by any chance know a Robert Windmill? He was boy, well man now, that lived a few houses down from where I lived. I heard he proposed to another woman yesterday! He was usually known to rush things far too quickly with any girl he's been out with, me included, unfortunately... I saw no harm in going out with him once, and he seemed nice enough...yeah...then he went down on one knee and proposed to me before I tried to flee inside my house! Can you believe that? He broke down into tears when I rejected him and called him crazy! Then he well...err...he got into the hospital...sorta... I sort of hurled a wrench at his head when he was being clingy so...yeah.._

Winry blushed, not understanding _why_ she just wrote that embarrassing moment and just hoped that Edward wasn't a jackass and wouldn't tease her too badly about it.

 _Anyway, I hope you're safe there! Reply soon okay? I don't really know how to end letters either but umm...read you soon?_

 _-Winry._

She sighed loudly in relief, slumping back in her chair heavily and staring up at the ceiling.

She felt something warm and moist on her fingers and when she looked down, she saw Den affectionately licking them. She smiled and petted his furry head, making him wag his tail happily and coming closer to her, nuzzling his snout against her hip.

She giggled, "Not easy being a human huh Den? Well, what do you know, you don't have to send letters to a soldier you never saw before..." she sighed, looking at her letter.

With a burst of confidence, which might have come from the bit of wine she had earlier, she kissed the corner of the letter, a good luck charm of sorts. She only hoped he wouldn't get the wrong idea.

With a burning hot face, Winry stuffed the letter into the envelope, scribbled down the address and raced outside into the cool night air.

She resolutely stuffed it, almost violently so, in the mail box, running back inside the house, locking the door and slumping against it, her heart beating a little faster.

Winry blamed it on the wine and her stupid friends.

And the stupid soldier with the maybe-golden eyes.

Part 2 finished! **From now on, I will (which may take a while) publish it as a** **SEPARATE** **story! Just go to my profile if you want to see it, like I said, I may delay with it, since I'm writing on 10 other stories at the moment! ^^" THANKS FOR READING PEOPLE!**


	54. Requests!

**Here is the list of ALL reviews from my dear readers until now, this will be UPDATED of course!**

* * *

 **Requests**

 **1."The Old Man I Cared about" –** Greed and Fu's developing relationship from the start until Fu died, as well as how Greed was mourning over his loss. (Originally requested by Panic, apologies for being so VERY late!) **DONE!**

 **2."Human and Metal, an Arm and a Heart" –** centered around Lan Fan, how she experiences having lost her arm, when she wakes up after the operation and the months after. Mentions of Greedlingfan **DONE!**

 **3."The Day my World Changed" –** Maes Hughes & Gracia. **DONE!**

 **4."Selim's Memories, Pride's Battle" –** one shot about Pride, serious fic. **DONE!**

 **5."Through Thick and Thin" –** fic about Lust and Gluttony's relationship, coming soon!

 **6."Can't Keep Their Chains on Me" –** where Greed tries to escape from Father (in Ling's body) **DONE!**

 **7."Freedom Outta my Grasp" –** alternative one shot to _Can't Keep their Chains on Me_ where Greed fails to escape Father and gets tortured. **DONE!**

 **8."The Promise & The Rescue" – **Kimblee kidnaps Winry but Ed, Al and Greed end up saving her. **DONE!**

 **9."A Wedding to Remember" –** Ed and Winry wedding chapter! **DONE!**

 **10."Returning Home" –** funny fic about GreedLing, Mei, Fu and Lan Fan returning home to Xing. **DONE!**

 **11."The Emperor's Clothes & A Homunculus' Thoughts" – **Greed and Ling fight Father in their final battle, but instead of Greed, Ling dies, PART 2 shows what Greed does after Ling died. **DONE!**

 **12."My Team" –** The scene in FMAB with Greed encountering Bido! Twist: Greed regains his memories BEFORE he kills Bido! **DONE!**

 **13."Falling and Rising" –** scene in FMAB where Greed hangs off the cliff with Wrath, Lan Fan holding onto him, depicts what would happen if Greed/Ling fell into the water with Wrath. **DONE!**

 **14." Falling and Rising Together" –** where, instead of Greed, Ling saves himself from drowning in the water. **DONE!**

 **15."Sibling Bonding" –** Al & Ed, Greed & Mei, Greed & Ling, Ling & Mei, Olivier & Alex, Lan Fan & Ed. **DONE!**

 **16."A Fire in his Soul" –** fic where Roy is being fatherly to Al, consoling him in his time of need, acting like a father to him. **DONE!**

 **17."The Family I never had" –** Lingfan family! Greed is the overprotective uncle! **DONE!**

 **18."The Bomber & The Ishvalan" – **fic about Kimblee & Miles! **DONE!**

 **19."You can't live without them or with them,"** – fic where all the girls (Winry, Riza, Mei and Lan Fan) talk about the men in their lives. **DONE**!

 **20."My Position as Führer" –** shows how Roy became Führer, Royai fic. **DONE!**

 **21."My World Turned Dark" –** Ling has a near death experience, while unconscious he sees a bright light and encounters Fu and Greed (looking like Ling) in the afterlife. **DONE!**

 **22\. "My Mind, My Freedom," –** specific reason why Greed ran away from Father and betrayed him, detailed! **DONE!**

 **23."Band of Seven" –** all the Homunculi betray Father before the final battle, (detailed) reasons why will be written in the chapter! **DONE!**

 **24."A Real Family?" –** about the Bradley family and their daily lives trying to live like normal humans (for Wrath and Pride anyway). COMING SOON!

 **25.** " **Back in Time" –** Ling travels back in time after the promised day upon desperately missing his best friend Greed and encounters the old Greed with his Chimera team in Dublith. **DONE!**

 **26."Small Signs of Love" –** where guys try to convince the girls they love them (Greed X Lena (OC) included) **DONE!**

 **27."Homunculi in Love" -** where our lovely Pride/Selim has a crush on a certain girl! ;) **DONE!**

 **28."The Girl under the Mask" –** Greedlingfan!

 **29."2003 meets 2009" –** 2003 meet the 2009 (Brotherhood) characters of FMA! **DONE!**

 **30."Back in Time 2" –** alternative version where Ling and Greed have a short but meaningful conversation. **DONE!**

 **31."His Thoughts filled with Her" –** Greed's thoughts on Lena!

 **32."Last Amestris" –** heavily based on the movie "Last Vegas" starring Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas and Kevin Kline. FMA characters starred: Ed, Ling, Greed, Al. **Part 2:** Mustang, Hughes and the whole Mustang Unit.

 **33\. "Fullmetal Titan / Attack on Homunculus" -** CROSSOVER **FMA:B & AOT (Attack on Titan)! **Published SEPARATELY!

 **34\. "Gone Boys Gone" -** alternative take on what happens when both Greed AND Ling get sucked into Father on the Promised Day

 **35\. "** **Fullmetal Alchemist: the Horror Movie" -** _Because...nothing was scarier than reality..._ Angst/Horror/Humor

 **I will update this REGULARLY (or whenever someone request something!)** Stay tuned and sorry for the delays! .


	55. The Old Man I Cared about

**Hi guys!** (sighs and throws myself on the bed) Sorry for not updating in a week...or was it longer? Ugh...sorry, school's been keeping a tight hold on me now unfortunately . I'm afraid I won't be able to update often (as you have surely noticed) I'm really sorry for not updating and worrying some of you. (bows)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Panic:** Thanks buddy! ^^ Eheh...thanks, well turns out, the whole class wanted to play a prank on a fellow classmate (who most definitely didn't want to get elected) so it ended up that he became class president lol. It was funny but yeah...I hope he will manage with the organizational work, that can be a bit rough at times (sweat drop)

 **AnimeOtaku9000:** haha wow! Thanks so much! :) Royai huh? Don't worry, I wrote your request on the special chapter I posted **Requests** and I'll try to write it as soon as I can! Promise! I'm really glad and honored that you enjoy my stories so far! Thanks! :D

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** haha Oh really? Who knows? Maybe she does have something to do with it, maybe not? ;) Meh, the class played a prank on a fellow classmate, who didn't want to get elected, so it ended up with him getting the position lol :P

 **Bleh:** Hi there! Nice to meet ya! :D haha Yeah 'Letters from War', well they for most of their lives yeah. I made Resembool appear a little bigger, since its set in modern days, it's not exactly the rural village it was in FMA, more like a village in the country side, a bit bigger. Ed is a soldier, Winry is a mechanic and all the other characters have different roles too! I will explain once I get all those requests under control! XD

 **CrazyCat:** That's great! Well...er..for the test anyway...Aw man, please feel better soon! I had busted (seriously bruised) ribs not too long ago (a few months ago?) and that had hurt LIKE HELL! I can't imagine how it is having a fractured wrist . I hope you recover fast! Hugs and kisses from me! :)

 **Lily:** (smiles warmly) Aw, thanks for your concern Lil! :) Thank you, I'm fine, a bit tired and sleepless but otherwise fine. Exams will be starting soon and yeah...it's crazy. I'm afraid I'll take long to update again anytime soon so yeah...really sorry for the slow updates! . (laughs and smiles) Nah, not at all, don't be silly, your concern doesn't bother me. Thanks for worrying Lily, like I said, I'm fine but stressed over school. And I consider you and all my lovable readers friends in one way or another ;)

 **Just-a-fan:** Sure thing! I will try to update as soon as I can!

 **Jadasimone16:** haha the majority of them is finished ya know? ;) All ideas/requests with the word **DONE!** At the end are already finished and published! :)

* * *

 **QUESTION:** This may sound funny, but did anyone heard of a (I think it's a kids lol) show called " **The Miraculous Ladybug** "? Yeah, I'm 18, I sometimes still can't believe that . Ahem..anyway, I thought of doing a few one shots with them. What do you guys think?

Also, if you go on Youtube, type in " **Miraculous Ladybug – Handsome Prince (Comic Dub)** " it will show a very heartwarming fanmade video about how the main female protagonist is a little girl and her dad tells her a story about a handsome prince, explaining to her that her future 'prince' doesn't have to be handsome and charming. I thought of writing that too with EdWin, Greedlingfan, Greed X Lena, AlMei, Royai as couples! **Opinions**?

 **Greed and Ling are in SEPARATE bodies!**

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

 **The Old Man I Cared about**

Left. Right. Duck. Jump.

Left leg up, then drop down in a crouch, slam your left leg against your opponent's knees.

Right foot up, hit your opponent in the chin, send him flying, follow by a series of well timed right hooks. Headbutt.

Fu frowned disapprovingly, "This won't do," he shook his head, his arms crossed as he watched Greed beat up Ling.

Greed stopped, looking at Ling, whose cheeks looked a bit...swollen. And blue...and red.

The Homunculus rose an eyebrow, "Huh? Whatcha on about old man? I think it's perfect!" he raised his arms in the air, resting them lastly on his hip, his annoyance palpable as he released a irritated sigh.

Fu narrowed his eyes, "You have woken the young Lord from his slumber, Homunculus. I hardly think him suitable to spar with you at this time of hour," Fu gestured to the dark sky, it was somewhere around two in the morning.

Ling groaned in pain, still half asleep, Greed's punches haven't helped much in becoming more awake. He had been sleeping so peacefully, had such a good dream...

Then the menacing claw of destruction, Greed's hand, had literally dragged him out of his warm, soft bed and threw him out the window and into the backyard of the palace, demanding to spar with him.

Ling still had no idea what the hell Greed's sudden eagerness to spar brought on and why on earth he insisted on doing it at two in the morning, but he was about to fall back asleep.

Thankfully his savior intervened, Fu.

"That's enough Homunculus, the Lord needs sleep," Fu sent Ling, who groggily stood up, to bed again, the young prince in line for the throne obeyed eagerly, half sprinting, half dragging his feet on the ground.

Greed's expression was dark, his stance tense, eyes narrowed in displeasure at removing his sparring partner.

He rose a eyebrow when Fu took on a fighting stance, his demeanor calm but troubled, "Whatcha up to old man?" Greed's sudden mistrust only further spiked Fu's suspicions.

"You wanted somebody to spar with, did you not? Here I am," he gestured with his hand that Greed attack first.

The Homunculus snorted and charged, the old master parrying and countering every blow he dealt.

He lost sense of time, he didn't know how much time really passed until the first rays of sunrise moved over the horizon, bathing the panting duo in warm light.

"Are you willing to tell me what has been troubling you?" Greed looked at Fu, who was sitting cross legged on the ground, brows furrowed together, demanding silently he tell him what was wrong.

Greed sighed and slumped to the ground, one leg outstretched while he bent the other one, supporting his weight with a hand on the ground behind him and his other resting leisurely against his bent knee, "I don't have to tell you anything old man," he spat carelessly.

Fu didn't let himself get deterred, "The promised day is approaching...I assume you have second thoughts?" he fixed him with a stare.

Greed tensed, "Heh, course not. I would kick my old man's ass any day, as long as he stays dead that's good enough for me," he looked at the soft sunrays, a faraway look in his eyes.

Fu remained silent for a while, "Perhaps you are troubled by the outcome of the battle? I'm aware you have lost the majority of your siblings-" he was cut off harshly by Greed.

"Those _imbeciles_ aren't my _siblings_ ya hear me?! We ain't family or shit like that! We were born from a fucking stone! The old man is our torturer, nothin' else. I ain't got any mushy feelings towards them if you think that old man," Greed barked venomously, the red in his eyes more pronounced, especially in the soft, orange glow of the light.

Fu remained calm, "I disagree, Greed. You may not be bound by blood, but you've spent significant time with them have you not? You weren't alone all your life, you cannot say they don't mean anything to you at all," at Fu's stern glare, Greed scoffed and turned his head, black hair, oh so similar to Ling's, covering his eyes in a shadow.

Silence.

Fu waited patiently.

Greed bit his lip, "Pride's the most arrogant kid I ever met, not even the Elric kid is as arrogant as him, that's for sure. He's sensitive about not being 'daddy's favorite' son. Wrath doesn't care, he cares about that wife of his surprisingly, seems like he wants to detach himself from us and live his own life, away from the bird's nest. Lusty's fine as long as her dear younger brother Gluttony is with her, those two are like toe and nail, never apart. She protects him with her life, even if she would never admit shit like that, she's got pride too. Sloth's a lazy ass but he likes us well enough, he's lonely most of the time so he keeps coming to me and the older ones to spend time with. Envy...heh, that stupid runt, he's been jealous of me from the start, even though I hate his ambiguous guts, he's got it the most hardest. Never gets what he wants, he's got some deep seated insecurities and Father's making it worse when he tortures him. Envy likes his big, destructive form because he thinks that will protect him from those fears,"

Fu listened intently to what Greed was telling him, he was vaguely surprised the Homunculus spoke at all.

Carefully, with well thought out words, Fu asked him softly:" What about you Greed?"

There was a moment of pause, before Greed turned his head, a small forced smile on his lips as he finally revealed his face.

Glistening, red eyes pierced Fu's surprised grayish ones, "What about me old man? I'm the resident troublemaker and I always will be," he gave a crooked grin, attempting to brush off his vulnerability but he was caught completely off guard by Fu.

The old man had stood up, now standing before Greed, to rest a gloved hand on top of his head, gently caressing the scalp, almost fatherly in a way. Greed wouldn't know, he never got that treatment from his artificial bastard of a father.

Father, the Homunculus, was basically the closest thing Greed associated with the word "parent" since he had no other basis for comparison, but he saw little interactions between people here and there.

While Fu was Lan Fan's grandfather, they were as close as father and daughter and in the moments where there was momentary peace, they both allowed themselves to act of their own accord, not bound by duty.

Greed would always feel a pang in his heart at their affectionate, if not at times funny, interactions, it wasn't jealousy because he never had a loving father to begin with. It was a hollow feeling, something he wished to replace with a figure he would be able to call something of a 'father'.

Greed's eyes were astonishingly wide, shocked beyond belief at the old master's bold move. When he slowly, afraid of what he would see, trailed his eyes up to meet the steel ones, he froze.

There was something akin to affection in Fu's eyes, it was true, they only knew each-other for about half a year, maybe less, and their interactions haven't always been that friendly, but there was actual affection in those wise eyes.

Fu smiled, almost fatherly, "It will be difficult Greed, I know, but you have yourself surrounded with people willing to risk their well-being for yours. The young Lord, Lan Fan, Edward Elric, Mustang...everyone." Fu lightly ruffled Greed's hair before removing his hand and starting to walk back inside the palace.

"Not to forget, this old body can still fight and protect if need be," Fu's words were ringing in Greed's ears, "You included, Greed,"

When the old man left, Greed still sat in the same position, stunned.

Then, he felt moisture slide down his cheeks and he hastily lifted an arm to furiously wipe them away.

"Tch, stupid old man," Greed muttered, standing up and rubbing at his eyes, "Stupid old fool, making the big bad Greed cry like a wimp," he grinned, still rubbing at his eyes.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, a small, warm smile on his lips as he too, entered the palace to follow his routine of annoying the hell out of Ling.

* * *

Greed stood in front of the wall of stone, hands in his pockets, dressed in his usual black clothes.

He smiled, "Tch...stupid old man Fu," his spiky black hair covered his eyes again, the setting sun bathing his silhouette in light as well as the stone in front of him.

 _Loving grandfather and friend, gone but never forgotten._

Greed didn't bother to rub at his eyes as a single tear slid down his cheek.

And another.

The flowers, as cheesy as they were, he had placed on the gravestone were carefully wrapped and positioned, methodically, something Greed usually never bothered with. But this was different. This was for Fu.

The man who was the closest thing to a father Greed would ever know.

He never knew until then, that Homunculi can shed tears.

 **The end for this chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed it!**


	56. My Team

**Hi guys! Wow, this one was a quick update (considering my responsibilities :P) but uhh...yeah.. I had to study for a exam so I was unable to write the chapter about Bido and Greed but worry not! It's done! ;)**

 ** _Disclaimer:_** Some of the conversations used here are borrowed from FMA Brotherhood series and _not_ owned by me!

 **Enjoy reading!**

 **My Team**

"What the hell?! Why is he doing this to me? What did _I_ do?!" Bido yelled frantically as he ran for his life, holding his bleeding shoulder with one hand.

His heart was beating frantically in fear, he had no idea what the hell just happened.

He saw that man, dressed in all black clothes, randomly attacking him out of the blue. He was just a simple, rather weak chimera! What could he possibly have done to have angered someone like him?!

Bido screamed in fear when the scary man suddenly came down from above, he only narrowly escaped when he jumped off the wide pipe thing he kept running on, harshly hitting the floor as the man shattered metal and rock alike, sending chunks of it flying everywhere.

 _'_ _Oh no, what do I do?! I'm alone, I'm bleeding! What the hell do I do?! If only I could find Mr. Greed, everything would be alright! He would know what to do! He would protect us, like he always did! Oh Mr. Greed!"_ Bido thought as he winced on the ground, trying to get up as the man suddenly started to laugh.

Wait...

That laugh...

Bido knew it from somewhere, it was too familiar...

' _I only know one person who is laughing that way...and that voice...no, it couldn't be!'_ Bido's eyes widened when the man started speaking.

"Well, this is fun. Most people tend to curl up and cry, " The man suddenly showed Bido his metal coated hand, which looked like a very sharp, dangerous claw, with a menacing, blood thirsty grin to boot, "It's about time someone actually fights back, I do appreciate the chance to kill my boredom," the man started laughing again.

Bido couldn't believe it, wait a damn minute...

He recognized it...the material coating that man's hand looked all too familiar, there was no mistaking it.

Bido grew sour, protective, _angry_ ;" The Ultimate Shield! And your voice sounds like...what the hell?!" tears sprung at the corner of the chimera's eyes, the pain of losing the person he considered his savior...this..., "How dare you imitate Mr. Greed!" he spat harshly, the pain in his chest as lively as ever at the memory of his leader. The so called imposter moved forward.

He wouldn't let someone trample and tarnish his savior and leader's name like that, even if he would die, he fought fight for his leader.

The person appeared to be amused, dark spiky bangs covering a bit of one side of his face as he spoke;" Excuse me, I'm no imitation, my name _is_ Greed," he smirked.

Bido's eyes widened, expression softening, "The avaricious...?"

A grin, "You got it. I want everything you could possibly think of, I want money and power and women, sex, status, glory-"

Bido cut him off, realization dawning on him as he finished the words he heard his old friend saying so often back in the old days, "You demand the finer things in life!"

Bido shook his head, eyes widened still in disbelief, "You...you can't...how could you be...?" he shook his head, trying to sort out his thoughts.

 _'_ _How could he...how could this man possibly be Mr. Greed? But there's no mistaking it, he sounds exactly like him! And those eyes...nobody has that eye color...But...why doesn't he remember me? We were a team for so long! How can be forget me?'_ his heart constricted at the thought and Bido suppressed a sniffle.

Greed grew suspicious, wary of the stranger before him, who seemed to know him inside and out, "Alright ,who are you?"

" _Greed!"_

Greed's eyes widened and he flinched, freezing. What the hell? Where did that voice come from? He touched the side of his head, confused.

"It has to be...you _are_ Mr. Greed! But how can you look like someone else?" Bido slowly stood up, relieved to know it was indeed Greed who stood before him and not some impostor like he originally thought.

Greed was alive, one of his dearest friends was alive. Martel, Roa and Dolcetto were...killed but Greed...he was alive.

Bido wouldn't be alone anymore.

However, it seemed Greed still didn't remember him, "I asked you who you are," his tone suggested he wasn't to be trifled with, but Bido had grown accustomed to it, not feeling nearly as afraid as he actually should.

"It's _me_! I'm your friend Bido! You haven't been gone long enough from Dublith to forget!" Bido didn't want to believe this, maybe Greed had suffered amnesia from some serious injury? But that didn't explain his appearance...

"Oh you're from Dublith! Oh, hoho, now it makes sense!" Greed looked like he was remembering again and a light shone in Bido's eyes, so his friend really didn't forget him.

Suddenly, the Ultimate Shield covered claw swung at him and Bido barely got any time to dodge the lethal blow, falling to the ground again.

"W-what? But I-I thought you-"

Greed cut him off, "Remembered? Sorry, but you must have been friends with the previous Greed," Greed grinned, raising his hand to deal the finishing blow to the injured chimera.

" _Greed!"_

"Mr. Greed please!" Bido pleaded, desperate to remind his friend of who he was.

Greed's eyes widened, it was that voice again.

" _Yo, Greed!"_ another voice, this one male.

" _What's up boss?"_ another one.

What the...?

Greed gripped his head, his mind a mess as images kept popping into it, blurry but there.

Four faces appeared, alongside them his first body. What the-? Did he know those people? It seemed like that Bido guy was with them too.

 _"_ _What's up gang? Did you manage to find something?"_ Greed heard his own voice.

What the hell?!

Greed grunted in pain, gripping his head and falling to his knees, the veins in his forehead becoming prominent with strain.

"M-Mr. Greed," Bido watched helplessly as his old friend withered in pain, he had no idea what was happening or how he could help.

Greed coughed violently, panting like a dog, trying to fill his lungs with air as the images kept flooding his mind.

"Who are they...why are they in my head, why do I keep seeing their faces?!" Greed slammed his head down against the ground and Bido flinched away in fear and concern.

" _Sure thing boss, there's enough for everyone. Dig in!"_ a man, which Greed suddenly thought to be Dolcetto, said in his mind, grinning happily as he and the woman, Martel, ate happily.

Greed saw himself, sitting with those people, laughing and eating what they got their hands on. The larger male was Roa and Bido was sitting beside him, looking content that all his friends were there.

Other images followed and Greed released a scream of pain. Bido flinched but launched himself on his friend, wrapping his arms around him to try and calm him down, "M-Mr. Greed! Hold on, everything will be alright!" tears stung the corners of Bido's eyes, concerned for his friend's wellbeing.

" _Pathetic,"_ Wrath, in the body of Bradley, muttered as he cut down Dolcetto in half, Greed's own body laying lifelessly in his own pool of blood.

Greed uttered darkly, " _Wrath,"_

 _"_ _He killed your friends Greed,_ " Ling's voice broke through the torrent of images and feeling waging a war between them inside Greed's being, " _Don't you recognize them? Those are your friends!"_

Greed remained stubborn, barking back at Ling, "N-no, they aren't! I don't know them! Father purified me and impressed the old Greed's memories! Why am I remembering them...they mean...nothing t-to me!" Greed shouted, clutching his head.

Ling sat cross legged in the middle of the countless souls inside of him, a dark frown on his face, " _You're lying! You said you never lie but why are you lying now?! You're in pain Greed! You hate Wrath because he killed your friends, your comrades, your team!"_

Greed's whole body shook as the images played like a movie inside his mind.

" _Greed!"_ Martel called, smiling softly, " _Can you help me with something quick? Dolcetto and Roa are busy carrying the heavy boxes and I can't get Bido out of the hole he crawled in, he said he had smelled some food but it was just cheese left for the rats, poisoned cheese,_ " Martel looked sheepish as she said this.

Greed had laughed and shook his head, " _Is that so? We just ate, don't tell me that glutton still has room for more."_ He chuckled as he walked with Martel towards where Bido got stuck getting out from a hole in the wall.

He was grinning sheepishly, " _I-I'm sorry Mr. Greed,"_ Greed rolled his eyes and grabbed his arms, pulling with all his might as Bido finally got free, landing on top of him and groaning in pain.

Bido had cried tears of joy, _"Thank you Mr. Greed!"_ he had hugged Greed tightly, knowing to brush off his attitude whenever it would arise.

Greed huffed, " _Get off me, you're heavy."_

Martel just shook her head at the scene, sharing a knowing look with Greed, who scoffed at her and patted Bido's head, sighing heavily at how soft he had become.

" _Dolcetto?! Why the hell are ya here? I thought I told you to stay behind with the others!"_ Greed growled, deflecting another attack from Wrath as Dolcetto and Roa came running to his aid.

Dolcetto grinned toothily, jumping between Wrath and Greed to create some distance and allow his friend a breather, " _Sorry, but you know I'm as loyal as a dog, I ain't running with my tail between my legs if my friend is fighting down here, now let's finish him off eh Greed?"_ he had grinned at him and they had fought side by side, until their untimely, brutal deaths.

"N-no..." Greed clutched at his head, the memories becoming clearer, the people...his team...

A few droplets fell to the ground, tears. But this time, they were not from Bido.

"What the hell...did I do...I..." Greed growled, shutting his eyes tightly closed, "I lost them...I let Wrath kill them..." he shook and Ling remained silent, letting Greed mourn.

"M-Mr. Greed, you do remember us," Bido smiled, rubbing at his own eyes who are beginning to moisten.

Greed shouted roughly," 'Course I remember you! You were my gang, my team...and I let you all die...Martel, Dolcetto, Roa..." Greed coughed violently, breathing deeply, "I was a bastard who sinned more than I can count but you guys...you didn't deserve any of that crap,"

Bido just hugged his old friend, relieved that he remembered, both mourning their deceased friends.

Greed released a scream from the depths of his gut and Bido flinched at how broken it sounded.

They were a team. They always had been.

* * *

 _Greed slowly opened his eyes, noticing the bright light._

 _"_ _Oh shit...don't tell me heaven actually accepted a bastard like me? They all must be crazy up there," he muttered, rubbing his head and standing up._

 _"_ _Boss?" a far too familiar voice called out._

 _Greed's eyes widened and he turned around._

 _It was Dolcetto. Grinning softly at Greed._

 _" '_ _Bout time you drop in here, it's been a while huh? You haven't changed a bit, except maybe your country...were you always Xingese?" the half dog chimera grinned playfully._

 _Greed was in disbelief, they were all...there. Dolcetto, Roa, Martel, Bido...everyone..._

 _"_ _Oh, here come the waterworks!" Roa joked, getting a jab to the rib by Martel._

 _"_ _Are you blind? When did Greed ever cry? Heaven must have done something to your head Roa-oh!" the team was suddenly caught off guard as the Homunculus launched himself at them, hugging them all tightly, almost too tightly._

 _"_ _Shut the hell up," Greed scolded, voice quivering._

 _Dolcetto's eyes were wide, but his gaze softened and he rested a hand on his friend's back, "You've grown soft huh? Never seen you cry before..." he fought against his own tears._

 _Greed chuckled, "I didn't lose my team then,"_

 _"_ _M-Mr. Greed, you didn't lose us," Bido smiled warmly, resting a hand on Greed's own upon Martel's back._

 _Greed shook his head, "You bunch of idiots," Dolcetto and Roa laughed, roughly patting Greed's back, Martel smiled softly, kissing Greed's cheek and patting his back in a embrace as they all cheered and laughed._

 _Greed broke away from them and looked down in a pool where it showed Ling and Lan Fan, still in the middle of the battlefield with Father._

 _He smirked, "He better lead my country damn well or I'll haunt him in his sleep," he grinned and turned his back to the living world._

 _He thought about how heaven would be like._

Then Greed opened his eyes.

 **Done! I'm sorry it took so long!** I actually have planned to update last weekend but uh...yeah..sorry . Bloody exams keep me a bit busy. **QUESTION: Which one shot do you guys want next?**


	57. That Woman

**ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** (smiles warmly) Thank you so much Lily! And I'm sorry for being so behind on everyone's requests! . School is certainly keeping me busy, but I may have time in the weekend to publish something! :) I'm glad you liked it!

 **CrazyCat:** haha It's fine really, don't worry you weren't being rude at all. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, please feel better soon! :) Hope for a fast recovery!

 **Panic:** Hey there :) haha Yeah it did, got a excellent mark on it (phew thank god) but it will only get harder from here on out so yeah . No problem, I was getting fidgety with not updating anyway haha. Ah those, I'll get to them too don't worry! ;) Ah, yeah, I've received the same ones earlier a few days ago, on two other of my stories, I'm not sure if it's the same reader or not but yeah...the insult's were similar to say the least (sweat drop) Eh, don't worry about it. :) Of course you can! It may take a while for me to update but I'll get there! (smiles) Thanks so much Panic, really, it means a lot to see how you guys care for little ol' me ^^ haha Thanks (blush) well, I guess it's just my way, people often make fun of me because I don't care if people are me are "black", "white" or from different countries, religions...etc. if they are nice to me, I'll be nicer to them tenfold! ;)

 **Guest:** Hi there, uh, yeah, I'm sorry if you don't like my fic, really. I understand people have different opinions on things and that not everyone likes my stories, I get that, though I would have appreciated it more if you would have told that to me in a more... _civil_ manner. I don't wanna come off as rude but I'll tell you what many other authors before me write on their own fics: don't like, PLEASE don't read. I accept every and any reviews and opinions for my stories and try to improve with each one but what I _don't_ appreciate is people reading someone's story and demeaning it to "utter bull" without any explanation "why". I'm a tough enough nut to crack to not take your words too much to heart, but don't pull those stuns on other authors who work hard on their stories and writing alright? There's nothing more I hate to see than authors whose dreams got crushed because of some spoiled brats running their mouths full. Thanks for your reviews.

 **Info on chapter:** This is the chapter where Greed meets Lena!

* * *

 **That Woman...**

"So, I assume you're the girl that knows Alkahestry huh? Didn't imagine you as such a small fry," Greed commented, effortlessly hefting the squirming Mei over his shoulder.

"H-hey! Let me go! I demand you let me go! I have to go somewhere!" she pounded her little fists against his hard back but it didn't faze him in the least. Xiao Mei even tried biting him, but he had covered himself in his ultimate shield in time.

Damn it.

Greed chuckled, "Sorry there little lady, but orders are orders, even if they are from my nasty old man," before the Homunculus could turn around to walk back to the hideout, Greed's keen ears picked up on something.

He felt the air abruptly leave his lungs as a hard kick from his back sent him flying, loosening his grip on the girl and landing face first on the hard cobblestone path painfully.

Greed growled, deep and low in his throat, sensing his anger rising at who dared to pull such a cheap trick on him.

"Alright, listen up you fucking bastard-" before he continued, his voice got caught in his throat when he stood up, his stone healing his injuries from the fall.

He blinked.

"A...woman?" Greed blinked, surprised.

The little girl was hiding behind the woman's back, who stood tall in a battle stance, her eyes narrowed and trained on him.

Greed narrowed his eyes, "Who the hell are you?"

The woman ignored his question, "What are you planning on doing with her? She's just a innocent little girl, let her be," referring to Mei Chang, not knowing who she was.

Greed couldn't help but scan his new opponent from head to toe. She was clad in what appeared to be some sort of black armor, material made of leather or the sort, not too tight on her but just enough so Greed could make out her curves, he released a low whistle.

She donned black and red fingerless gloves, the tips of her hair reaching just below her shoulders in a messy fashion and her eyes flashing at his obvious ogling.

Greed composed himself with a grin, "Sorry, daddy's orders. Now run off and go to your boyfriend, I've got business to do," Greed tried approaching Mei again but the woman stepped in between them, blocking his path with crossed arms.

"Sorry, no can do," she spat, charging at him with a surprisingly fast kick to the side of his head, causing him to crash against a building.

He slowly got up, gripping his face, "What do you say...you've got some tricks up your sleeve," Greed's eyes narrowed dangerously in annoyance, "Sorry, but I don't fight with women,"

The woman chuckled humorlessly, "Oh really? Why? Because you think we are inferior to men who have nothing but wars and power plays on their minds?" She smirked and made her move.

She rushed at the Homunculus again but he kept dodging and parrying her attacks, he countered with a grin, "No, but because I still believe in a thing called 'chivalry'," he jumped back from her kick.

The woman snorted, "Don't make me laugh you hypocrite, you kidnap a innocent girl and try to tell me you're chivalric? You think I'm that dumb do ya?" she rushed forward at him again, slamming her palm against Greed's abdomen and using her alchemy to penetrate his shield.

Greed roared in pain, staggering back on unsteady legs as he held his side, deep breaths escaping his mouth, "Damn, so you're an alchemist are ya? Look, it goes against my code of fighting and hurting women alright? Now scram, I don't wanna break that," Greed attempted to snatch Mei away but the woman, stood in his way with crossed arms, "Make me, _Homunculus_ ," she challenged.

Greed suddenly grinned, flexing his wrists, "Feisty one huh, I like that in women. The name's Greed honey, in case you wanna know the name you scream once I'm done with you,"

She smirked, "The name's Lena, _darling,_ in case YOU want to know when you scream in pain," Greed growled when she attacked him, using her fists and legs to throw him off balance.

But Greed dodged all of her attacks, not giving her a chance to touch him, she almost touched him on the stomach again, Greed taunted; "You wanna touch me so bad huh?" infuriated, Lena leaped at him but Greed sidestepped and held her hands behind her back, her palms facing him so she wouldn't be able to hurt him with her alchemy.

"Alright, now be a good girl and let me do my damn job,"

Lena chuckled and barked, "Sorry, I hate it when someone tries to command me. I won't let you touch her," she finished with a serious, lethal air about her.

Greed smirked and whispered in her ear;" Look on the bright side, if I kidnap her, we will see each-other again if you're with the Elrics,"

Lena's eyes widened and she demanded fiercely, "How do you know them?" she tried to pull away but the damned Homunculus had a tight grip on her.

"I know a lot of people," was his simple, short answer.

Suddenly, she was released and she almost fell to her knees before she regained her composure, turning quickly to face her opponent, but she found he was now directly in front of her face.

He smirked, grabbing her hand and kissing the back of it gently, "See ya, Lena," when she attempted to attack him in her rage at how he dared to touch her, he was gone and with him, the little girl.

Lena narrowed her eyes, fishing in her pocket for her phone.

As she called the person answered on the other line, "What is it?"

"We have a problem," Lena answered, "Colonel Mustang,"

 **I'm sorry it's so short! I promise I will write more about them if you like! :) Thanks for reading everyone!**


	58. Domestic Bliss

Hi guys, I'm back (surprisingly fast, it even surprised me lol) anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter since I can't tell when I'll be able to upload another one! Maybe I'll even upload two chapters today, who knows! ;)

 **NOTE:** If you allow, I would like to quickly publish a small fic from my own ideas list if you guys don't mind! Don't worry, your own requests will come soon! As well as "Letters from War" I will probably publish it in the weekend or sooner if I have time! :)

 **FUN FACT:** The name I gave Lena and Greed's _second_ daughter **Avaritia** is Latin which stands for...hihi the sin "Greed". Yeah, I know cliché, but I couldn't resist. Suggestions for names are welcome though! ;)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Emma:** Letters from War? Sure thing! Though I'm afraid I can update that bit in the weekend (maybe even sooner if I'm lucky lol) and it will come as a SEPARATE story, titled "Letters from War" so just go on my profile if you wanna see it :)

 **Anonymous J:** haha that's ok, I figured it was you ;) haha thanks, what can I say, I'm a dreamer and a optimist, two very dangerous combos ^^ Though I hate it when the realist in me comes out at times (sweat drop) Yeah, I'm doing fine, though I must say school piles up my stress levels . Exams after exams, it's a miracle I updated this! Granted it _is_ 10:00pm...heh...

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** Ah, mine too we are in the same boat there (salute!) Meh, I'm used to flamers in real life too (ironically enough, it's mainly because of my English grades being better than theirs .), well Guest can voice their thoughts though I would have preferred it to be in a more civil manner but oh well. And thanks for the cheer up :)

 **Panic:** State Alchemist huh? Hmm...actually, I haven't decided on that one. I originally planned to have her being offered the position in the military countless of times but she turned them down because she was too stubborn/proud to be chained down and ordered around (even more than Ed lol) haha Yeah, Greed has his own body, man that would be pretty awkward if Ling is married to Lan Fan and Greed is married to Lena, how those two couples would together under the same roof...sheesh. ^^ Wow, two years huh? I hope it doesn't come to that haha. Sure thing, got them noted down ;) hahaha Thank you so much Panic! I try but I'm afraid more exams are coming...demons called exams...reminds of the old anime Inuyasha (chuckles) :D

 **Hope you enjoy everyone!**

* * *

 **Domestic Bliss**

"Greed...honey, what are you doing?" Lena blinked incredulously, rocking her daughter lightly in her arms as both watched the tall man furiously tapping the rubber end of a pencil against his head, the other hand absently drumming fingers against the wood of the dinner table.

Papers were scattered across the whole expanse of the table, they looked like...like...

Lena's eyes widened as she came closer to inspect what in the world her husband was doing, "Discount coupons?" she blinked at Greed, who seemingly didn't even notice them yet.

She gently touched his broad shoulder and that was when he snapped out of his thoughts, startled, he looked up at her and smiled when his little daughter Avaritia stretched her little hands out to him, Greed grabbed them gently and kissed them lovingly, chuckling when she giggled.

Lena smiled warmly at the display and shook her head, she still couldn't believe how much Greed had changed after they had gotten together. Sure, he was still the same foulmouthed, bossy, moody, greedy, dirty little bastard he usually was but he also revealed a side to her nobody would probably believe if she told it to anyone; he was incredibly caring and protective, he liked to _cuddle_ , he often overreacted especially when it came to either herself, Avaritia or Emilia. She often had to calm him down before he would work his brain to overload from worrying and fussing over them, like when Emilia scraped her knee that one time while playing outside with the Elric kids, oh god...Greed practically had a heart attack, he had immediately rushed to the scene, carried his favorite little princess in his arms and ordered Winry to heal her least she lost her leg.

Least to say the scene had been hilarious, with Greed threatening to severe Winry's hands if she didn't treat his daughter and with Ed, being the ever overprotective husband, butting in and nearly beating Greed up for his tone with his wife. Lena had to giggle at the memory, before she focused on the present.

"Care to explain why you suddenly hoard...discount coupons?" she snickered, not at all used to this new side of her husband.

Greed pouted, crossing his muscular arms, "I don't _hoard_ them, I _collect_ them so we can buy cheaper things once we go shoppin'," Greed took Avaritia away from Lena and sat her on his lip, asking with all seriousness;" Now, honey, tell daddy what you want to eat for dinner tomorrow,"

The little girl, only at the age of two, sucked on her thumb and looked between her father's serious expression and the little papers with pictures printed on them on the desk. Randomly, she pointed to a picture which had a delicious looking cookie pack and Greed grinned at his little girl.

"Cookies it is!"

Lena rested her hand on her hips, jabbing her finger against Greed's cheek sharply, "Now listen up you, my children will _not_ eat sweets for dinner you hear me?! I don't care if you used to be a big, bad Homunculus, you'll sleep outside if you give them sweets to eat for dinner! Are we clear?!" she glowered at him, not at all intimidated by his overall physical appearance.

There was a moment of silence, before Greed rubbed his cheek and muttered;" Crystal,"

Lena smiled happily, ruffling her husband's hair, "Aw, good!" Greed's eye twitched in mild annoyance at being treated like a kid, but a kiss from his wife melted away all his anger. At least he got a kiss damn it.

"Back to my original question, why do we need coupons? I mean, it's great that you start to save up more money but we have more than enough Greed," Lena cocked her head to the side, perplexed.

Greed turned to her in his chair and steadied Avaritia in his arms, "Can't a man save up money too? You do that too," Greed looked at her with one eye open, feeling defensive.

Lena rolled her eyes and giggled, "Sure thing, I was just baffled why I find you sitting here like some patient that just recently escaped from the nut house in front of a desk full of discount coupons." She retorted dryly, shaking her head.

Greed stood up, a head taller than Lena and carefully handed their daughter back to her, "I've got something to do, be back by supper," he kissed her forehead, retrieved his trademark black coat and out the door he was.

* * *

"Ugh, great, now I have to buy _milk_?" Ed sighed heavily, furiously tapping his foot against the floor in the supermarket as he remembered his wife's words from earlier.

 _You don't want our children to be as short as you when you hit puberty right? If you don't come back with milk in tow you will sleep outside in Den's house and she will sleep with me in bed!_

Edward groaned in annoyance, asking himself when he had gotten "whipped" as Ling had teased him for recently. Damn Lord was whipped himself, whenever he didn't do something Lan Fan strictly ordered him to do, about his kingly duties, then he would sweat buckets and be off in a jiffy, he would run faster than Ed had ever seen him run before.

Ed had a small glaring contest with the six pack of milk, sitting innocently in the fridge.

"Alright, listen up you demon spawned from hell, I hate you and you hate me. But I will take you with me because I don't wanna sleep outside when I can sleep with my wife in bed...don't expect me to drink you, you bastard," Ed grimaced as he, with a shaky hand, grabbed the handle of the six pack of milk and carefully placed it inside the shopping cart. He wiped his hand off on his clothes, afraid the white demon had left its curse marks on him somewhere.

"Right, vegetables," Ed sighed, ticking off "milk" from his grocery list. He would never understand why Winry insisted on writing everything down that they needed to buy, Ed had a very good memory, hell he had a good enough memory to remember all the complicated formulas for alchemy and Alkahestry, he could damn well remember a stupid grocery list.

And suddenly his shopping cart crashed into somebody else's.

"Excuse me-" Ed was mid-sentence when he suddenly saw exactly _who_ he had crashed into.

"W-W- _Winry_?!" Ed blinked several times rapidly, seeing the all too familiar figure of his wife, with his _child_ , in her arms, donning _his_ oversized white sweater and a pair of sunglasses, blond hair in a high pony tail.

The woman, obviously his wife, froze and said in a fake accent:" O-Oh! Apologize I very much, yes, yes, I do! I'm sorry for um...disturbing!" she dashed passed him, Edward stood shell shocked for a little while longer, until he took chase.

"FREEZE RIGHT THERE YOU MECHANIC FREAK! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?! I AM TASKED WITH BUYING THE GROCERIES TODAY!" he mentally cheered in his head when he got her cornered in the cereal department. He grinned like the devil as she looked like a deer caught in headlights.

The little girl in the cart, Sarah Elric, reached her arms out towards her father, giggling happily;" Daddy!"

Winry hissed softly a "shh" at her daughter, Ed deadpanned:"Alright, little lady, what are you doing with my sweater and my child?" Ed crossed his arms.

"U-u-uhh, don't know me who you are handsome stranger! Ha ha haha!" Winry laughed awkwardly in a deeper voice, a burning blush of embarrassment on her face.

Ed exploded:" KNOCK IT OFF WITH THE FREAKISH ACCENT! YA SOUND MORE LIKE A MAN THAN USUAL! NOW SPIT IT OUT! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" Ed hollered, annoyed that his wife was, what he suspected at least, spying on him.

Winry ripped off the sunglasses and screamed right back at her husband:" MORE THAN USUAL?! EXCUSE ME?! HOW DARE YOU COMPARE ME TO A MAN!?"

Ed groaned, "Of course you would only hear that..."

Edward tapped his foot impatiently against the floor until Winry finally relented, burning blush in place:" I...I...well...I sort of...was afraid...you wouldn't buy the milk..."

Ed's eyes widened comically, "YOU STUPID MECHANIC! WHEN IN THE MILK DID I EVER NOT BUY MILK WHEN YOU TOLD ME TO?!"

Winry barked right back:" THAT TIME WHEN IT WAS RAINING AND YOU CAME BACK WITHOUT ANY MILK YOU ALCHEMY FREAK!"

"I TOLD YOU IT GOT WASHED AWAY BY THE RAIN!" Ed defended himself, arguing with his wife in the middle of the store, parents and other people making a wide detour around them to try and avoid the bickering couple. Everybody knew the (in-)famous Edward Elric and the best mechanic Winry Elric nee Rockbell. Nobody in their right minds would try to mess with them. At least not when their battle modes were in full power.

* * *

"Kiba, are you concentrating?" Ling peered closer down at his son, who was sitting cross legged on the ground, eyes closed and a calm, concentrated look on his face.

Kiba sighed for the umpteenth time at his father's pestering, "Yes, father, I am for the forty-sixth time," the little guy opened one dark brown eye, peering up at his father.

Ling had tears running down his face, "T-that's my boy!" Ling cried heavily and Kiba sighed, sharing a look with his mother over his shoulder, who just contently sipped her tea, holding Nanami on her lap who clapped and cheered for her brother.

"Mother...help..please..." Kiba pleaded desperately.

Lan Fan had a secretive smirk on her face as she lowered her tea cup, "I'm sorry Kiba, but you know how your father gets when you have managed to successfully detect his chi, again," she smiled when Kiba groaned, being picked up by his overexcited father and continuously celebrated like he just saved the world.

"Lan Fan! Did you see that?! Did you feel that?! OUR SON CAN DETECT CHI!" Ling cried tears of joy, hugging Kiba close to him.

Lan Fan smirked at Kiba's annoyed expression, "Yes, I did Ling," she giggled, kissing her daughter's forehead as the little girl cheered.

Kiba just thought this;" _Ugh...oh dad...I wonder how you will react when I tell you I can detect uncle Greed's chi too...he would probably have a seizure if this continues..."_ Kiba shook his head but a small content smile appeared on his face as he hugged his father close, " _Well, let's make the best out of it,"_

* * *

 _Back with Greed and Lena_

The devil himself entered his house, placing his black coat over the hanger and entering the kitchen where the light was still on.

Lena was waiting for him.

He suddenly got a tea cup thrown at his face, but he caught it just in time, "Where the hell were you?! It's 9:00pm you moron! I was worried!" Lena growled at him, jabbing her finger against his chest harshly.

Greed just had a large grin on his face as he pulled his wife close to him by her waist, delighted at her surprised squeak and adorable blush at their sudden close proximity.

"Sorry, it took a while, but I got you this," Greed bashfully held out a small square like box, grinning when she accepted it with wide eyes.

"G-Greed...this is...it's not what I..." she swallowed hard, "What I think it is...is it?"

Greed shrugged, "Look for yourself," he winked at her.

Lena practically ripped out the lid of the box.

"OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU SO MUCH YOU MORON!" she flung herself at the startled man, the content of the box falling out of it.

It were tickets for the new movie that was coming out soon.

 _Fullmetal Alchemist: The Real Story_

 **There you have it! Some randomness! ^^** I'm afraid I will make Lena even crazier than she already is (though not as crazy as me...that would be too much lol XD) Thanks for reading!


	59. The Bomber & The Ishvalan

**Yoo!** Hi there! Missed me? Oh why am I asking, course ya did! ;) haha Just kidding! Well, exams for this week are done for! Today I had a exam which SHOULD have been 2 hours long...I felt incredibly awkward when I finished after 30min...oh god (insert monkey smiley that covers face) I pretended to read the text for another 30min so that it looked like I needed a full hour to finish the exam . God...yeah...well I scored 87/100 points on it! ^^" Not bad but if I scored 90 I would have gotten "excellent", oh well.

 **INFO ON CHAPTER:** Alright, this is something I've never written before, mainly pairings of the same gender, though I have absolutely nothing against them just to make things clear ^^ So yeah...hope I won't screw up too badly with Kimblee and Miles, BUT I'll also try to keep them in character while adding some romance! Hold your breath!

 **QUESTION IMPORTANT: ** Would anyone like me to dedicate a chapter to Lena and expand on her character and backstory? I could add Greed in it too, since we know how they met and all :P Just tell me if you guys think it's a good idea and if you want me to include something else then just write it down! **Thanks for reading!**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** Really? Aw, sweet 18 (meh not so sweet ;) ) Would you like me to write you something special for it? I can do that! :D haha

 **CrazyCat:** Thank you! :3

 **Bob:** Thanks Bob! :)

 **Cassey:** Oi, oi, what is this? A contest of freaks? Haha well I hope I won't win or I'm ready for the clinic! ;)

 **Panic:** Thanks so much Panic! ^^ Thank you, guess your good luck wishes helped! Ah, yeah I noticed, I don't know why though, tried refreshing everything and it didn't work T_T haha Nah, it wasn't don't worry ;) haha Thanks! I was panicking since I thought she was too much of a Mary Sue . Ahh, well she's an ally to Mustang but that's all I will say on that! Hey, of course I will write your prompts (with delays) BUT I will write them! And should I forget (again...T_T) beat them into my head will ya? :) haha

 **Anonymous J:** haha Thanks J, it's an honor! :D Oh that, when Lena said:" Are we clear?" Greed responded to it by saying:" Crystal (clear)" nah, it isn't, there are no such things as dumb questions only dumb answers ;)

* * *

 **The Bomber & The Ishvalan**

The man in the pristine white suit stood there staring out the large window, the brim of his hat concealing his eyes as his gaze scanned the landmark just outside the large mansion he was currently hiding in.

Footsteps, firm and confident, could be heard from a distance, coming closer and closer to the room the man occupied.

A small smile grew on his face when the footsteps stopped for a short while in front of the door, he knew who it was.

"Afraid to enter now? To think we have worked together not long ago..." the voice of the gentleman clad in white resonated through the large, empty room.

The man on the other side of the door seemed to have heard him, for he turned the doorknob a second later and entered the room with a soft click of the door closing.

"Afraid seems to be the wrong word..." the man, still clad in the state military uniform said, trademark dark sunglasses in place, contrasting with his darker skin tone his people were known for.

"Oh really? Do tell, I'm all ears, Miles," Solf J. Kimblee smirked, turning around to regard his old comrade in arms.

Miles frowned darkly, "...What will they do with you now? You can't run away forever Kimblee," he swallowed hard, white gloved hands balling into fists.

Despite wearing pitch black sunglasses, Kimblee seemed to have recognized something in Miles' stance, a shift of emotions...something.

A small smile replaced the sly smirk from before and his features softened, he reached a gloved hand up to grab his equally white hat and rest it against his stomach, "They haven't discovered my whereabouts yet, but I plan on leaving now. I must confess, I've been surprised that the Armstrong woman allowed me refugee here, however brief it may have been, I was sure she would _explode_ by the mere suggestion of it," he chuckled, before a serene smile formed on his lips and he heaved a sigh, "I don't know Miles, I suppose as far away from Central as possible. I still have the Stone, so I'll manage for a while."

Miles didn't look convinced, if anything, he looked even more troubled.

Kimblee chuckled again, "You're worried aren't you? Those glasses don't fool me, we have formed a bond with each-other after all," Miles' expression turned darker.

"You know the laws wouldn't allow us to..." Miles bit his lip, afraid of even speaking the secret out loud, even if they were alone now.

Kimblee nodded in understanding, amused and irked at the same time, "Yes, I'm fully aware. Which is why I'll travel as far as possible. You'll manage to get a clear head then, won't you?" he teased, smirk in place.

Miles sighed, taking off his black sunglasses, red eyes of the Ishvalan country boring into Kimblee's purple ones, "This is not the time for jesting, I told you I would follow you if you plan on leaving,"

Kimblee's smile dropped and his gaze turned sharp, the same expression he used whenever he was fighting as the Crimson Alchemist, "And _I_ told you I will not allow it under any circumstances. You're under watch as it is, no need to arise suspicion that you have something going on with the infamous Crimson Alchemist, right?" he grinned.

Miles grit his teeth together in anger at Kimblee's jesting attitude, "I told you to stop it with the jokes! This is serious! You could die today or tomorrow! How will I know? Through the newspaper after a month?! You won't be able to survive alone!" red eyes burned in fury at the man before him.

Kimblee remained silent for a while before his gaze fixed itself on the floor, "I've survived till now, I will be just fine. My life plays a very little role in this vast game of chess, I, like many others, am just a pawn and pawns are known to die first,"

Miles exploded, "To hell with your ideologies! I don't care how psychotic you are or if you don't value your own life! There are people out there that do care about whether you die or not Kimblee!"

Kimblee's gaze narrowed as his tone turned cold, "Oh really? And who are these people?"

" _Me_ ," Miles said with a unwavering gaze.

Kimblee's eyes widened in surprise at the man's bold declaration before he composed himself, quickly thinking of his image.

"I see..." the hand holding his hat moved up to place it perfectly on top of his black hair, "I should get going now,"

He straightened his posture and started walking directly towards the door but stopped when he was near the Ishvalan officer, Kimblee stretched his hand out holding something in his palm.

"Keep this safe for me will you? I still have another one left, but this one is my first Stone and very beautiful, I would be at ease knowing it is kept in good hands," with a smile, Kimblee let the smooth stone fall into Miles' open hand.

Miles looked down at it, before slowly closing his hand around it and fighting back a swarm of emotions.

Kimblee smiled, "I hate relationships between humans but..." Miles looked at him from the corner of his eye.

Kimblee was openly smiling at him and he looked younger, free of worries, so unlike the mad bomber that had fought in the Ishvalan War, " Never forget Miles, I'll be back,"

Kimblee walked towards the door again and opened it slowly, just before he closed it behind him he whispered:" Maybe then I'll be a good enough man to deserve you,"

With that, he was gone.

Miles held onto the Philosopher's Stone in his hand, a single tear falling down to slide down it's smooth, polished surface.

Despite the tears, Miles smiled.

If Solf. J. Kimblee said he would be back well...

Central should better prepare for his return, because Miles definitely will.

After all, if Kimblee said he would come back a better man then Miles also needed to do some atoning and bettering of his own.

* * *

 **Eheh...(scratches head) Sorry about that...not very romantic huh? Hehe Sorry, if there are any more requests about similar pairings or something then I'm willing to work hard on improving it! :)**


	60. Such a Stud

**Hi guys!** Oh man I'm enjoying writing more often now :3 It may be short lived but at least I get to update a bit more. (embarrassed giggle) Thank you all for the kind congrats on my exam results! I'm pretty content too for now ^^ I hope Lady Luck stays on my side for a little while longer. FINALLY I can see the latest reviews! Guess solved the little problem.

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** Ah, I see, interesting idea! I'll write that one down too! Though I think I still have some requests more I can write yours Lily, I'm afraid . But don't worry, I'll try to hurry so I can write yours as quick as possible! :)

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** haha (scratches head in embarrassment) Thank you so much! You're so sweet! :3 Eheh, well I wouldn't say "that" well, there were better than me of course. Well, I personally don't ship them but I remembered a request I got from a guest saying they would like to see a Kimblee/Miles one shot so I wrote it up, how I met their expectations (sweat drop) Ahh, Wrath and his wife, I recall I wanted to do something similar for some time now. Got it! ;)

 **Panic:** (blinks in surprise several times) Wow, really? Cool! Thanks so much! Haha Thank you so much Panic, honestly ^^ I had the feeling like this particular chapter wasn't so well received (then again, not every chapter can be good) but yeah...to be completely honest...I uhh...weeell...I didn't watch FMA in a damn long time, particularly the scenes with Miles or Kimblee, so I was panicking that I may have screwed up their personalities or something .

haha Thank you Panic, but like I said, I seriously don't have anything against same gender people/pairings...etc. it's just I never got those requests before so I'm not well versed in writing them. Haha Nah, don't be, look at me, most of the ideas for chapters are MINE (hah...and to think such a crazy nutjob like me is the author of those stories...what did the world come to be...) Ah about that, if there are any interests in the idea left I may write it, but I've thought it over again and well...there aren't "enough" characters to "fully" represent the seven sins, none of them are really prone to say anger (Wrath) or malicious greed (Greed) to really identify them with the Homunculi :P At least, that's my opinion but I could give it a go if many are interested. Will do! Thanks for the ideas! :) Ah...sorry...this is such a long reply...

 **Guest:** I'm really glad you liked it! Thanks for reading it! :3

 **Blog:** Ah...btw...I know this is incredibly random (not to mention stupid and naïve) BUT...I was thinking (for a long time actually) of creating my own blog. What I would post on this blog? I was thinking of fanfiction, animes or even other random topics. Something like that, I'm not sure if people would even read the stuff I write on so yeah...I don't know if I should take my chances or not, I don't have anything to lose if I do create a blog really . Opinions...? :3

 **INFO on chapter:** So, this one will be number **6** from my own ideas list! The one where Greed approaches Lan Fan after their fight with Gluttony and after she receives her new automail. Enjoy my lovelies! :)

* * *

 **Such a Stud**

Lan Fan quietly sipped her tea beneath her mask, raising it slightly so she could push the cup underneath it closer to her lips. Her eyes narrowed when she picked up a powerful chi, walking towards her.

"Ah, there you are, been wondering where you ran off to," the deep voice said as the man seated himself casually next to her, ordering a drink for himself.

Lan Fan tensed, remaining silent as she calmly sipped her tea.

"Hm...you aren't very talkative are ya?" Greed asked, inspecting her mostly covered features.

"So...that mask...is that some new style I haven't heard about? Do all people from Xing wear em'? No?" Greed waited patiently for an answer but it seemed like he wouldn't be getting any.

He sighed, resting one leg against the other and his hand against his knee, leaning slightly closer to the stoic woman, "Alright, looks like I'm gonna be the only one talking tonight-"

To his surprise, Lan Fan actually cut him off, "Why are you inhabiting my Lord's body?" her eyes remained trained on her cup, not that Greed could see her eyes because of that stupid mask and because she wasn't turned to him.

Greed froze, blinking for a few minutes, caught off guard that she even talked. Ling crossed his arms, content to listen on how this conversation will play out but ready to interfere shall Greed cross a line.

The Homunculus composed himself, leaning back and scoffing, "Tch, the brat asked for it. Not my fault that he's a power hungry little-"

Again, she cut him off, this time though her voice had a sharp, cutting edge to it, "My Lord would never willingly allow a vile creature such as you to take control over his mind!" Lan Fan grit her teeth, anger welling up inside her.

Greed paused, observing how tense and angry she was at hearing Ling surrendering his body to him.

" _What's her problem? She got angry at me for nothin',"_ Greed complained to Ling in his mind, still observing Lan Fan quietly.

Ling sighed, _"Well, she is one of my most loyal subjects. We have known each-other since we were little, of course she would be angry knowing I let myself get controlled by evil by my own free will,"_ Ling explained calmly, crossing his arms and closing his eyes in thought.

Greed rose an eyebrow, "Listen doll," Greed began but stopped when Lan Fan sent him a look through her mask, her eyes narrowed in warning at the pet name.

He rolled his eyes, "Alright, Ling's bodyguard, whatever,"

Lan Fan cut him off, _again_ , "I do not have any interest to hold a conversation with you, Homunculus," Lan Fan was beginning to slide off her stool but Greed grabbed her wrist to stop her.

Again, she looked at him with narrowed eyes, warning him to let her go.

Greed remained firm, "Sorry, no can do. I would follow ya anyway, so better stay put and just listen to me for once alright? And no butting in," he waited for her answer.

" _Well...she sure is a feisty one,"_

Ling scoffed at Greed's comment.

Lan Fan looked torn between staying or going, she must have wondered where on earth her grandfather was, because Greed noticed her eyes shifted back and forth, but lastly she seemed to have decided to stay as she adjusted herself on the stool and looked at Greed expectantly.

Greed smirked, "Good, finally. Now...any chance you can take off that mask? I like to talk to pretty women when I can see their face," it seemed like Lan Fan wasn't prone to swoon over his flirts.

She remained stoic, not making a move to remove her mask. Greed sighed, this may be more difficult than he initially thought.

"Alright, guess we will do it like that," he turned serious, "Your _Lord_ desired to rule over Xing and gain immortality, that's why he came seeking the Philosopher's Stone. My old man is crazy as hell so he gave him the stone, my stone, so...that's how I ended up taking over. But piss ant and I have a agreement of sorts, we ask each-other if we can take over...mostly," Greed grimaced, remembering times when Ling forcefully took over and did _not_ ask for permission.

Lan Fan seemed to observe him, while taking in Greed's words, "My Lord...he...willingly allowed you free reign over his body?" her voice wasn't as strong and poisonous as before, it was soft.

Greed nodded.

Lan Fan looked down at her automail arm, Greed followed her gaze, "So...how did that happen? The runt has it too...seriously are people following some new trend or what?"

That seemed to have irked her some, "It is none of your business, Homunculus," her tone was dry and cold, as if trying to block out Greed.

The Homunculus released a chuckle, "There now...and I thought we were on first name basis, Lan Fan," he grinned, "Here's the deal, you stop calling me 'Homunculus' and I'll stop giving you pet names,"

Lan Fan's gaze narrowed, "I do not take orders from you, you are not my Lord,"

Greed frowned, looking down at the woman. He was...intrigued by her, not many women were able to resist his charm or looks, then again maybe it was Ling's fault for looking like a pansy...

 _"_ _I_ _ **heard**_ _that you stupid Homunculus!"_ Ling raged inside their mind, having heard the "pansy" comment.

Greed rolled his eyes and shut Ling out, "Will you continue giving me the evil eye? I'm your ally-ish...as long as I'm a part of Ling, I won't cause trouble alright?" he tried to make her understand.

Lan Fan narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "How do you expect me to trust you with that?"

He smirked, "The thing is honey, I never lie," Greed couldn't help but grin even wider when he saw her avert her eyes away shyly, so she was a shy one.

He pretended to yawn, craning his neck, "Well, seems like I gotta go for now. I still gotta find that runt and ask him about the old man," Greed looked at Lan Fan, "Where will you go?"

"Grandfather and I will manage," was her short, simple reply.

Greed shrugged, hands in his pockets, "Ah, ya mean the old ninja guy? I like him, he's got spunk for his age."

Greed paused, looking like he was arguing with himself, before he turned his head around enough to look at Lan Fan, "Ling says hi and to take care. Make sure you and the old man don't go anywhere near the other Homunculi, they are bad news doll. If you won't be friendly with me, then at least promise me that eh?"

Greed waited and he wasn't disappointed, Lan Fan nodded mutely, not trusting her voice at the moment.

Greed grinned and turned back around, waving with one hand, "Good. I've got some things to do. See ya around, Lan Fan,"

She watched him walk away for a few minutes more before she willed herself to go in search for her grandfather. She couldn't believe she just talked to a vile creature such as him!

However, what Lan Fan didn't know but what Ling and Greed very well knew was, that the last thing Greed had said, about being wary of the other Homunculi hadn't come from Ling.

But from Greed.

It was only when the battle with Father had reached its climax, when Greed died, did Lan Fan realize just how much she had wronged him.

And that Homunculi were capable of feelings beyond the need for world domination and trickery.

 **Done...** not really all that pleased with how it turned out but I hope you guys enjoyed it nonetheless! :) Oh and...this will be the **last chapter**...ever, of this whole fanfic story. THIS is the LAST chapter.


	61. Telephone Talks

**Hi there!** (laughs and grins widely) Well, I seriously hope you guys didn't believe that little tid bit I posted at the end of the chapter did ya? I got so many ideas swimming in my head (including yours) that I'm afraid this will turn out to be a 100 chapter story of one shots :3 Haha, sorry for that prank, I just really wanted to see your reactions if you guys would miss the updates :P ^^

Anyway, here is another chapter for you all! Since exams are coming threateningly closer, I'm afraid my updates won't be as frequent, but since I miss writing, I'll try to sneak in one or two at times ;) Though I'm pretty sure I'll update regularly the " **Ideas for chapters** " section, since I get pretty many ideas at every random time ^^

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** (rolls eyes playfully) Gee, I'm hurt ya know? ;) haha 'Course it was a joke, I have so many ideas that I want to write down that I don't think the end will come anytime soon. Nah, don't worry about the rude reviews, I suspect it's the same one that bashed some of my other stories but I got a thick hide so it doesn't bug me much. :) Many people don't know that when you go to school you deal with (immature) idiots daily, there are always people who don't like this or that and that are incapable of saying why, so I got advanced knowledge of how to deal with those ^^ Besides, it's my choice whether or not I end a story so that's that :D

 **Bob:** Of course I'm joking haha ;) I don't think would write about writing people's prompts at the beginning and then just say 'lol it's the end sorry' the next moment ^^ This story is still alive and kickin'!

 **OtakuGirl:** Aww thanks so much! :3 No, no, don't worry, I won't ;)

 **Anonymous J:** Hm...I see...well I'm not really sure myself so I guess the idea will be pending for now. Oh good luck with that one my friend! ;) haha No of course not, it was joke don't worry, sometimes that sadistic side of me likes to make people squirm ^_^

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** hahah Thanks for the kind words but I ain't going down so soon! ;) Sorry, a lame joke on my part, just wanted to see your reactions if I do write that :3 (Ahem...if you guys want to punch someone's face in, punch Jaden's...it was HIS IDEA! *whistles innocently*) Right, anyway, like I said, exams keep breathing down my neck so I'm afraid I will be able to update once a month, maybe more often. I miss writing a lot so I'll try to squeeze one in.

 **Panic:** (wipes tear away) Aw, man, don't make me cry! Haha Don't worry, it's NOT the end yet! ;) Quite the opposite actually, I have so many ideas that I think this will expand into a 100+ chapter fic! ;) (smiles warmly) Don't worry about it, I'm suffering a difficult time too right now, so yeah...I know the feeling all too well :)

 **Guest:** Hi there, haha don't worry, it was a lame joke on my part! I just wanted to see how you guys would react! ;) (Oh and do you mind thinking of a username? Sorry, I just find it impersonal if I don't know the name of the dear reader that bothers reading my stories ^^) I won't go down because of a few rude reviews, don't worry :) I can take a few low hits.

 **Enjoy the story everyone! :D**

* * *

 **Telephone Talks**

Roy Mustang discreetly looked at his unit, who all seemed more or less occupied by one thing or another so he quickly punched in a all too familiar number on his telephone.

It rang a few times then the caller picked up;" Hello?" it was a all too familiar, lovely feminine voice that made Roy instantly smile and in a better mood.

"Why hello there, Elizabeth, we haven't talked in a while have we? How have you been? Everything alright? Oh I missed you so much!" Roy laughed loudly, twirling the cord around his finger and whirling his chair around so his team didn't see the delighted expression on his face.

The voice on the other line sighed in playful annoyance before releasing a giggle, " _Why Colonel, I do hope you worry about your duties before worrying about me! How have you been? It's been too long!"_

Roy grinned, laughing loudly, catching the attention of the entirety of his unit, "Ohhh Elizabeth, of course I worry about my duties! I've just started with paperwork but I always have time for you! I'm splendid really! How about going to dinner sometime hmm?" the grin on his face only widened.

Havoc and Breda sent each-other surprised looks, whirling their heads around to their superior when he laughed loudly again.

"What the hell...? That woman again?" Breda scratched his head, utterly confused.

"Oh? Well, what are you wearing then on such a hot day?" Roy asked mischievously, chuckling darkly.

The whole unit comically slammed to the ground, making gagging sounds before grabbing the edge of the table for dear life and pulling themselves up. They did _not_ want to know about Mustang's... _telephone talks._

Fuery blinked several times before breaking out in a sweat, "W-wait a minute...where is Lieutenant Hawkeye?"

Everyone automatically stiffened, wide eyes turning to look at the two double doors to their office, if Riza came strolling in to see Mustang slacking off again...

Violent shivers coursed through each of the members at the horrific scenarios of Riza aiming her pistols at them all and giving them hell to pay.

Havoc crossed his arms, glaring at the back of Mustang's head, "That stupid womanizer...why won't he let me see that woman? He's probably scared that I would take her away from him or somethin'," he huffed in annoyance.

Breda shook his head in exasperation at his comrade and friend, "Typical you, only thinking about women...I swear you're Mustang's successor..." he shot a quick glance in Mustang's direction, "Alright...who will stand guard in front of the door in case Riza comes in?"

Everyone looked at each-other with frowns, before they all stretched their hands out and started shaking them back and forth, shouting quietly, "ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!"

It was Falman.

The elder officer glared at his friends, "You manipulated that!"

Breda shouted back," How in seven hells am I supposed to manipulate rock ,paper, scissors?!"

Havoc chuckled, "Come on old man," he winked.

Falman frowned darkly, "Who are you calling old man..." he elbowed Havoc before resigning to his questionable fate and slipping out of the office, standing tall in front of the doors, eyes frantically looking this way and that to spot the stern woman.

* * *

"Ah, Elizabeth, you always make my heart flutter with joy!" Roy snickered, smiling like a drunk.

A resonating giggle escape 'Elizabeth's' lips at the other line, _"Well Roy, I can make your heart do other things other than flutter in joy,_ "

Roy's mind was about to conjure not the most innocent of thoughts until he heard a _too_ familiar metallic 'click' through the phone.

Black eyes shot open and his body froze, it was gun,.

"A-ah, r-right, right, well you see, I'm terribly sorry Elizabeth for having to end our little chat but I'm afraid duty calls!" he laughed awkwardly as his heart beat like crazy in fear, sweat forming on his forehead as another giggle from 'Elizabeth' sounded before he hung up.

He was a dead man.

Roy quickly whirled around in his chair and took the nearest stack of papers just as the door to the office opened.

It was her.

Falman was sweating like a pig and shaking like a leaf at her side, his hand raised in a salute, as Riza Hawkeye strolled in.

Riza had a straight face, walking tall and confident straight to the Colonel's desk, files in her hands.

She deposited the files on the desk and her eyes scanned its contents, then her superior.

"I trust you are done with paperwork, Colonel?" Riza narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

Roy smiled nervously up at his Lieutenant, "Y-Yes, Lieutenant, I'm just about done!" he grinned widely, innocently, staring at her with those puppy eyes that reminded her of Black Hayate when he did something bad and tried to hide it from his owner.

Riza stared at him for a moment longer, resting one hand on the hilt of her gun, Roy's eyes widened in fear.

But instead, she smiled and nodded, "Alright, good work Colonel," with that, she turned around and marched out of the room without a backward glance.

The whole Mustang unit stared wide eyed at the now closed double doors where Riza just exited. Roy grasped at his uniform, where his heart was, relieved to feel it was still beating, albeit widely, in his chest.

* * *

Riza smirked giggling to herself as she walked along the halls.

Sometimes, she loved making her man squirm, whether she was Elizabeth or Riza, either way it was funny and made her day.

 **Hope you liked it! :)**


	62. My World turned Dark

I'm back! Far sooner than I actually planned . I consider myself lucky about that haha. Gihi, I hope you guys enjoy this little one shot! It's a (rather good) prompt from Lily herself! ;)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Natsu:** Aww Natsuuu! *.* haha Hi there, sorry small fangirl moment ;) I absolutely LOVE Fairy Tail! One of my favorite male characters is Natsu and (if you noticed in my name) Gajeel! Yeah I stole Gajeel's last name, what can I do lol :3

 **Lily:** (groans) Sorry about that...I actually wanted to upload that to my other new(er) story "Zack Fair the Bad Boy" but somehow in the blazes I got here O.o Either way I'm getting way too old or I'm crazier than I thought XD Oh, really? Well, I know this sounds weird, but I sometimes make screenshots of stories I seriously LOVE because you never know when an author decides to delete them lol.

 **AnimeOtaku9000:** hahaha Sorry about that ^^" Yeah, after I read the first few reviews I was really confused then I read the chapter and thought myself: what the hell did I post...wrong story bro . sheesh

 **Panic:** (chuckles in embarrassment) Ah thanks buddy! ;) Well, it's not so much about updating as it is to silence those damn little voices in my head (no I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested – familiar anyone? Big Bang Theory? Sheldon Cooper at your service XD) that keep telling me to write and I honestly miss writing . Ugh, the problems of a amateur writer.

 **Enjoyyyy!**

* * *

 **My World turned Dark**

There were explosions everywhere, blood seeped into the ground, his ears were ringing and he felt the earth beneath his feet shook violently.

Was it another explosion?

He didn't know.

He felt weightless for a moment, then he felt a stinging sensation on the side of his body, warm liquid trailing down his side, seeping through his pants.

When he pressed a hand to it and recoiled in pain immediately after, he saw what it was.

Red.

Red, warm liquid.

 _Blood_...his own blood.

Then he hit something, _hard_. He had been thrown in the air from the impact of the explosion somewhere near him and crashed to the ground. He had no idea where his position was on the battlefield.

His soul felt empty. Greed was gone, he sacrificed himself in order to beat Father. He thought they were succeeding judging by the familiar, loud battle cries of Ed and the others cheering him on.

Ling slowly lifted his hand in front of his face to inspect it, it was covered in his blood, his side was still stinging and bleeding, the pain worsening with every passing minute. He didn't know how fatal the wound was but in all honesty, he didn't care.

Dizziness hit Ling like a oncoming train, the world around him began to spin, at first slowly then with increasing speed. He tried to grasp at his head in order to stop the moving images, but he wasn't sure where his head and where his hands were anymore.

He made out a black blur running towards him, it may have been the enemy, but they beat all the other Homunculi and Father wore white, not black. A comrade? Ling truly had no idea, he only knew that he was in pain and that he wanted to sleep, nothing more than to rest, curl up in a ball and sleep. Forget all these things ever happened.

...Maybe even sleep forever.

He wanted Fu back, he wanted Greed back. He wanted everything to be the same. He didn't want this war, the bloodshed, the deaths...

Greed had been like a brother he never truly had, he had siblings, but they were more like rivals for his father's throne than real blood relatives. And Fu, he had been the closest thing to a grandfather Ling would have ever hoped to get.

And now they were both gone.

His head spun again, the images started getting blurrier and his vision darkened with black and white spots.

It was difficult to breathe.

" _My Lord!"_ the familiar voice of Lan Fan caught his attention and he tried to reach out towards her but he couldn't pinpoint her location, couldn't see anything anymore.

The sounds of battle ceased to exist, as did everything else around him.

Ling fell into a deep sleep or at least he thought so.

 _Where am I?_

 _Am I dead? Is this...the end?_

Before Ling could try to figure out what happened and where he was, familiar laughter cut through the silence like a knife, the deep voice echoing around him. Wait...

He _knew_ that voice!

 _"_ _Aw, hell, ya don't really expect this to be the end do ya piss-ant? And I thought I would see you grow old and wrinkly when that time comes,"_ the familiar voice of Greed echoed all around him.

Ling tried to turn this way and that, tried to find his friend but couldn't. Everything was dark.

" _I'm disappointed, young master. Surely there is still some fight left within you to continue on,"_ tears immediately stung the corners of Ling's eyes when he recognized the elderly voice that had offered him comfort and wise words in the past until his untimely death at the hands of the enemy.

 _F-Fu? Greed? W-where...?_

Ling quickly shielded his eyes when a bright light nearly blinded him, it was warm, almost familiar. Ling felt the exhaustion he previously felt vanish and when he slowly lowered his arm to try and see what it was, he saw a hand reach for him.

Ling extended his own hand, feeling the need to find out what was behind that light. When the hand pulled him towards it he didn't protest.

But a strong hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks, halfway toward the bright light.

Ling froze.

" _Tch, ya don't really think I'm gonna let ya kick the bucket so soon huh? Besides, you got some people waiting for you down there,"_ Greed's voice penetrated the air and when Ling turned his head to look at him, the Homunculus was grinning.

Greed pulled him back, away from the hand and the light.

Fu appeared beside him as well, smiling, " _To think the Homunculus had to stop you from entering the holy realm,"_ the old man chuckled and said Homunculus frowned.

" _Hey! I never liked old fashioned fairy tales old man!"_ he scoffed but smirked at Ling, " _Now come on, this place ain't for you yet. The runt's fighting the old bastard, why not give him a hand?"_

Ling shook his head, tears streaming down his face, " _B-but...Greed...Fu...I want to stay here, you are here, I...I can't..."_ Ling didn't know how to form words, his throat tightening as the onslaught of tears struck him.

It was Fu that wiped his tears away gently, " _Now, now young Lord. Now is not the time for tears to be shed,"_ the old man's eyes were alight with determination, something that fueled Ling's own.

Ling furiously rubbed his tears away, straightening his stance slowly, " _I...can't you come with me?"_ he looked at Greed and Fu.

Greed chuckled, " _Sorry, no can do, seems like we are here for good. An' besides, I heard there was a pretty little lady waiting for you, now go out there and make me proud damn it,"_ Greed punched his shoulder, looking himself like he would cry.

Ling smiled and hugged the Homunculus tightly, " _O-oi! S-stop getting all mushy with me! Get off me ya stupid prince!"_

Ling cut off Greed's ranting, " _I'll miss you buddy,"_

Greed froze, hesitantly wrapping his arms around Ling. He exhaled, " _Yeah..."_ he paused, before tightening his grip on his friend, " _Go,"_

Ling smiled, understanding Greed's emotions even without words. When they broke away Greed swiftly turned around, pretending to wipe something away from his eye.

Ling hugged his grandfather figure tightly, burying his face against his uniform.

Fu smiled, " _I wish you the best of luck my Lord, I'm certain you will be a very good emperor. And that you will protect my granddaughter,"_ Fu smiled, willing himself not to cry as he broke away from the heartbroken prince.

Ling could only nod, wiping away the fresh tears.

Greed had finally turned back around, his eyes slightly red from "sweating" as he had so smoothly put it, grinning at Ling.

" _Whatcha waitin' for? An invitation? Go back there and fight damn it! And don't you dare die alright? I'll personally drag your ass back to earth if I have to,"_ Greed warned, crossing his arms with a fond smile despite his threat.

Ling took it to heart, " _Don't worry, I won't let your sacrifices be for naught,"_ he nodded one last time at Greed and Fu.

Fu offered him a kind, soft smile while Greed gave him his typical grin and a two finger salute.

And suddenly, Ling was falling.

He didn't know where, but he knew he was back when he felt pressure against his side and slight pain in his body.

He slowly opened his eyes, taking a moment to get accustomed to the light before he fully opened his eyes to see Mei and Lan Fan next to him, both looking very concerned.

Mei smiled the minute she saw he was conscious again, "L-Ling! You're alright! I've healed the wound and closed it, but please don't fight right now, not yet!" she pleaded desperately, the panda on her shoulder looking like she was frowning.

Ling smiled softly, petting Mei on the head affectionately before slowly heaving himself up to a sitting position.

Lan Fan immediately intervened, "My Lord-!"

Ling gently stilled her hands from assisting him, "Don't worry, I'm alright. Let's help Ed fight," Lan Fan remained silent for a moment, locking eyes briefly with Mei, before she wound Ling's arm over her shoulders and helped him stand.

Ling smiled and allowed Lan Fan to support _some_ of his weight, knowing she was injured as well.

They were slowly approaching the battlefield and they saw something they never thought they would actually get to see the moment they met the Elric brothers and learned of their predicament.

Ed and Al..

In their original bodies.

Ling tightened his hold on Lan Fan, raising one fist in the air and a loud, celebratory roar.

* * *

Weeks passed after the fight with Father, facilities were still being rebuilt and the damage still repaired, but with the help of alchemy, things were going slightly faster. Ed had taken it upon himself to personally help everyone with the labor work and with construction, without alchemy. Ling never saw him do actual physical labor, but then again they didn't know each-other for that long a time anyway.

Ling himself was, under strict watch from Lan Fan, helping with repairs. The woman herself was supposed to be chained to the bed for at least two months due to her injuries and various check-ups at the Rockbell's for her automail but she was far too stubborn to actually listen. As long as she didn't strain herself, Ling wasn't _too_ concerned.

He still sent her to the doctor at least twice a week for check-ups.

As Ling helped Ed carry a wooden plank towards Armstrong and the others, he paused to look up at the sky for a moment.

It may have been his imagination, but he swore he saw the faces of Greed and Fu, smirking down at him.

Ling sighed, smiling softly.

"Ling? What's wrong?" Ed asked, holding the other end of the wooden plank with his hands as he looked at the Xingese prince in confusion, looking at the sky too and wondering what the younger male was seeing what he didn't.

Ling shook his head, the faces of his two dear friends disappearing, "Nothing, sorry Ed, I just thought you needed some rest since I heard that shorter people need more-"

"I'M _NOT_ SHORT DAMN IT! I'M AS TALL AS YOU, YOU STUPID IDIOT!" Ed raged, dropping the plank and instead opting to chase Ling with it, holding it over his head and attempting to beat Ling's brains out.

Ling laughed, running away from the enraged Elric brother as he hoped Greed and Fu had something to laugh over up there.

 **Finished...so...how was it? Did I meet the expectations or should I change it? ^^**


	63. Perfect Girlfriend List

Heya everyone! Man, it's just Wednesday and I feel like I've been run over by multiple trains and trucks and it's not even passed half of a week! . I seriously hope I'll get to rest, today I've about used up my reserves for this week and pending... Anyway, I hope you will all enjoy this little tid bit! ;)

 **INFO on chapter: Greed and Ling SHARE the same body!**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS**

 **Lily:** Of course Lily! BUT since I didn't congratulate you on your birthday I'll write another (better) one shot for you! Choose whatever you like or think of something for me to write and I'll write it to the best of my ability! :)

 **Cassey:** Thank you! :3 Well, I'll see about that one, could be interesting to see what would happen there.

 **Anonymous J:** (shrugs playfully) meh, what can I say, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do ;) Oh really? Good luck with that and greet him from me haha. Oh really? The "big three" huh? Does he watch One Piece? Fairy Tail? Death Note? Psycho Pass? Ah sorry, so many anime to choose from :3

 **Natsu:** Oh yes it is! *.*

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** Thanks a lot! :) Though I may try to change it a little so it's better ^^

 **Panic:** (blush) Ah thanks! Hehe, personally, I think I could have written it a lot better (since I was really tired and it was damn late) so yeah, I may reconsider and write it better, though the story for the majority stays the same! Thanks Panic! I have a test tomorrow I hope I'll pass! (sweat drop)

 **Enjoy reading!**

* * *

 **Perfect Girlfriend**

 _Ling/Greed_

-smart

-strong

-pretty

-funny

-sass

-sexy

-busty

Greed growled, taking over again, "Oi! Let me write something too damn it! Stop being so selfish!"

"No! I refuse to be viewed as a pervert!" Ling protested, his hand holding the pen above the piece of paper shaking from his internal struggle with Greed.

"Well, I'm shitting on your views!" Greed declared, finally taking control again, "As if you _didn't_ want to write that!"

-has to be our bodyguard

" _Your_ bodyguard? Since when do _you_ need a bodyguard? You have a _freaking_ invincible shield!" Ling raged, flabbergasted at what the hell his counterpart wrote.

Greed just scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Tch, shut up, I need some protecting too,"

Ling rose an eyebrow suspiciously.

-kind and sweet

-shy

-knows cool ninja moves

Ling just shook his head and sighed heavily in exasperation.

-has to be Lan Fan.

Ling's eyes widened at what Greed wrote, and what he himself had planned on writing. He didn't know the Homunculus could be so caring and-

-has to have a thing for roleplay

That was it.

"Give me that pen you bastard!" Ling raged inside their mind, trying to take over his own body.

Greed's arm shook from the strain, dramatically grabbing his wrist with his other hand and looking like he was trying to strangle it, "Stop. Trying. To. Take. Control. Damn it!" Greed cursed, banging his head against the table, pain wracking his skull as both Ling and him groaned.

"No way! Come on! That's a turn on! Don't pretend you never imagined her in a little less than her usual battle armor! Admit it ya pervert!" Greed laughed maniacally, delighted when Ling shouted at him in embarrassed rage.

* * *

 _Alphonse_

-kind

-sweet

-gentle

-brave

-smart

-cute

-likes cats and other animals

-shorter than me

-has adorable pig tails

-comes from Xing

-has a Panda named Xiao Mei

-is named Mei

-calls me Alphonse

-cooks really good

-never stops clinging to me and kissing me when she's happy

Mei's eyes sparkled at the list she had been secretly reading over her boyfriend's shoulders, "Oh Alphonse!" she surprised the man by tackling him off his chair and to the ground.

Alphonse squeaked in surprise but chuckled when Mei simply kissed his jaw affectionately, he smiled and stroked her hair lovingly.

* * *

 _Roy_

-brave

-smart

-strong

-beautiful

-blonde

-serious but also has a softer personality

-is secretly a _tsundere_

-keeps me in line

-accepts all of me

-well versed in the art of weaponry

-rational and logical

-funny

-likes dogs

-dorky and shy

-doesn't threaten me with her pistol

-has to be in the military

-has to be my Lieutenant

-has to be Riza Hawkeye

Riza smiled softly upon reading Roy's secret "list", she frowned when she read the last "condition".

- _curvaceous and sexy in a miniskirt_

Riza laid a hand on her gun and a metallic 'click' cut through the air, Roy's hair on the back of his neck stood on end and he slowly turned his head to see his premature death.

* * *

 _Edward_

-smart

-knows a bit about alchemy

-not noisy

-not loud

-doesn't call me short

-doesn't tell me to drink my milk

-tells me I'm awesome

-loves me for who I am

-likes automail and working on my leg

-knows how to cook

-makes delicious apple pies

-is a automail freak

-has a dog named Den

-has a annoying little beansprout grandma named Pinako

-funny

-beautiful

-supportive

-independent

-dorky

-shy

-secretly tries to be sexy

-doesn't own wrenches

-has blue eyes

-blonde

-lives in Resembool

-is named Winry Rockbell

"Edward..." Winry tapped her trusty wrench against his head threateningly.

"What...it's _my_ list!" he shot her a dark glare.

She shot him one that would have made him drop dead.

Ed sighed and crossed out the one thing that irritated his fiancée.

 _Secretly tries to be sexy_

Winry smiled in satisfaction and bent over to place a soft kiss on his cheek, "That wasn't so hard," Ed rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless, surprising her with a passionate kiss on the lips.


	64. Human and Metal, an Arm and a Heart

**Hi guys!** I'm finally back! :) Exams keep sending me dirty looks and I passed my last one with a good mark so I'm satisfied for now! ^^ I hope you all enjoy this chapter right here!

 **INFO on chapter:** Continues in **Episode 23 of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood** where Ed and Co. arrive at the shed and Lan Fan gets operated by doctor Knox. I changed a LITTLE detail: **GREED** is already inside of Ling ladies and gentleman, which will serve as a interesting twist! Ling and Greed met the same way they did originally, just that it happened much earlier and he kept it secret from Lan Fan and the rest.

 **Questioning anyone? ** If anyone wants to ask me ANY questions at all (be they private or related to my works/stories/writing, I would be happy to answer them! :)

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own anything but my own ideas! Some scenes and conversations are borrowed from _Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 23!_

 **Human and Metal, an Arm and a Heart**

"You let her wander around the sewers with her arm cut off? Don't blame me if she gets lockjaw!" doctor Knox grumbled, working feverishly on Lan Fan's cut off flesh, sweat forming on his forehead from the concentration he was working with.

Thankfully, he had enough light as Riza was holding a petroleum lamp over Lan Fan's writhing body, offering silent strength and support as she squeezed Lan Fan's uninjured shoulder, trying to tell her without words to pull through this torturous act.

"I'm afraid the only patients I've had lately have been corpses, so this might be a little rough," Knox furrowed his eyebrows, putting strength into his arms to correctly cut off the leftover flesh of her arm, Lan Fan squeezed her eyes shut tightly and groaned loudly into the cloth in her mouth, biting down hard on it. Knox felt sweat bead down the side of his face.

Performing an operation on a patient who has lost so much blood as this woman did, under these circumstances...it would surprise Knox if the woman survived the night. He wasn't situated in a hospital with the necessary equipment, much less the sterilized environment so he needed to be all the more careful. Good thing he had his bag with him and disinfectant, it should prevent the worst.

Lan Fan screamed into the cloth, turning her head away at the sheer pain. Riza pressed down on her shoulder, trying to still her writhing body from moving too much, lest it disturbed Knox's task and made it that much more difficult than it already was.

Stars danced in front of her eyes, spots of black and white followed, white hot pain raced up and down her arm, shooting through her head, her jaw locked tight, teeth gritting tightly together, trying to withstand the pain. She wasn't weak, she wasn't _allowed_ to be weak, not now when her Lord needed her and a war was going on.

Riza felt sweat forming on her own forehead, she bit her lip when Lan Fan released another broken scream, Knox was in the process of sewing the flesh and skin back together by a thick, black cord, without any anesthetic, Riza could only imagine what pain Lan Fan was suffering through right now. It made the seasoned soldier cringe and feel immense pity and sympathy for the poor woman.

* * *

In the next room, separated only by a wall of wood, covering only half of the room where Lan Fan was being treated, were Ed, Al and Ling. The Xingese prince was sitting on a bench, his head lowered in sorrow.

Ed and Al didn't notice it but whenever Lan Fan screamed in pain, Ling would twitch, internally screaming at himself. He had anticipated for sacrifices in his mad journey to gain immortality, he had anticipated injured, deaths, casualties...but...he hadn't...not Lan Fan...

"Ling I-" Ed started speaking quietly but Ling cut him off.

"No, don't apologize.", Ling opened his eyes, looking straight up at Ed, "I was the one who suggested it remember? We both had something to gain out of it so it makes sense." He propped his knee up to rest his arm on it, partially to rest his injured arm and partially to try and shield himself from Ed and Al pathetically, "When I went in search for immortality, I knew I must be ready to make certain sacrifices."

Ed looked at Ling, gold eyes worried, he lowered his gaze to the floorboards, feeling guilt well up inside him.

Ling clenched his bandaged fist tightly, blunt nails biting into the inside of his palms, "But I...I wasn't ready for this..." he shut his eyes closed, "Lan Fan was though...she made the decision I was too weak to make,"

 _Too fearful to make._

He finished in his mind, turning his head to the side pathetically.

The screaming stopped.

Ling's eyes opened.

* * *

Lan Fan's eyes slowly opened by a slit, faltering, too exhausted to fully open them, pain and exhaustion covered her body like a heavy blanket, a blanket she wanted to shed as soon as possible.

The first thing she saw was gold and realized it was Edward Elric, his hair then his eyes. She smiled. Edward, Alphonse stood on one side of the bed she was laying on, worried and eager to see she was awake. Colonel Mustang and Riza Hawkeye stood at the foot of the bed, small smiles appearing on their faces when she slowly opened her eyes. The doctor who treated her, doctor Knox, was smiling, washing his hands on a moist cloth.

"She's awake," Al muttered, relief flooding his voice.

Roy made a hand motion, signaling to the back and Riza nodded, departing from the room in order to stand guard outside and be on the lookout for any intruders.

Ed carefully bent over the bed, smiling down at the exhausted woman, "You ok? Is there anything we can do?" he was smiling but Lan Fan, in her dazed mind, could still make out the worried pools of gold she had learned to trust as her ally stare at her.

Slowly, shakily, she turned her head slightly toward him to properly look him in the eye, "That old trap of yours...w-worked pretty well..."

An image of their first battle resurfaced in Ed's mind, the time when he used his automail hand to fool Lan Fan into thinking she had won the fight by plunging it into rubble so the top part was peaking out, fooling her into thinking he himself was buried beneath it.

By cutting off her arm and strapping it onto a stray dog, she mislead Bradley, who followed the trails of her blood, sending him off the track and buying her time to seek temporary refuge in the sewers below.

Her brows furrowed in worry, "B-but I'm useless without my arm," her voice was not above a whisper and her pitch rose from the pain, eyes shining with unshed tears when she moved it put slight strain to her fresh wound, "I'm going to need to find a replacement," she looked meaningfully at the blonde boy.

Ed's gaze saddened in guilt, lifting his own automail arm to look at it briefly, before he smiled, "You know...I can introduce you to a great engineer," he smiled reassuringly, hoping it calmed her worries at least a little.

Lan Fan smiled, thankfulness bubbling in her for having people care about her, otherwise she would have been dead already.

* * *

Ling had listened to the silent conversation between Ed and Lan Fan when she woke up, about finding a replacement for her arm.

His fist clenched, guilt and anger consuming him, building a intangible cloud over him as he silently mourned his incompetence at protecting a dear friend-

Light bathed his slumped form in a warm, soft glow and Ling lifted his head to see a white gloved hand extended toward him. It was the man that found the doctor and brought them here.

"I'm with the State Military, name's Colonel Roy Mustang," he smiled down at the younger male, well aware of the guilt in his eyes. He had them too, those guilty eyes, for different reasons.

Ling stood up, clapping his hands together in the formal greetings of his people, "My name is Ling Yao, the twelfth son of the Emperor of Xing. I appreciate you finding a doctor," for Ling, his words seemed bland, there was so much he wanted to say in order to thank the man before him, for saving Lan Fan's life, but he was too shaken for words.

It seemed Roy understood it nonetheless and took no offense, shaking his hand, "No problem. Thank you for helping us with the Ross incident and also..." Roy turned the oil lamp around, "...for bringing this thing in,"

The light revealed a squirming mass of fat and limbs, tightly wound together by a thick, metallic cord. It was Gluttony.

Light hit Gluttony's beady eyes and they widened upon zeroing in on the Colonel.

"Mustang..." Gluttony whispered, tuning out the rest of their conversation and the quarrel between the prince and the Colonel.

The picture of his partner and sister, Lust, flashed in his mind's eye.

"Mustang was the one that killed Lust...Mustang must pay for what he did!" veins protruded from Gluttony's forehead in sheer anger, straining hard against his cord prison.

The cord broke.

Gluttony's gate of truth reared its ugly head at the group and roared.

The house shook.

* * *

Ling's eyes widened, he quickly pushed aside rubble off his body, untangling himself from under the Colonel and Ed, jumping over wooden planks that broke from Gluttony's attack and rushing straight towards the room Lan Fan was resting in.

He heard Mustang shouting out to his Lieutenant, Gluttony's roar again, the house shook again.

Ling leaned over Lan Fan protectively, carefully grabbing her shoulders and sitting her upright, supporting her with his strength, "Lan Fan, we are getting out of here," she opened her eyes, having sensed something was wrong.

Her hand flew to her bandaged side, feeling weak and disorientated after the operation, "What is it? What's happening?" she noted how the world around her shook.

"The Homunculus," Ling pulled her closer protectively, "he had another monster inside his belly, swallowing up everything in sight!" Ling eyed her state, taking off his jacket and covering her form with it.

The house shook again, rubble falling from the ceiling, wooden planks, everything.

Ling's eyes widened and he quickly moved himself over Lan Fan protectively, covering her head and body with his own.

" _Lan Fan!_ " Ling shouted, hugging her tighter to him the harder the house shook.

He felt something wash over his skin, like a second skin or something, he felt the thuds from the wood falling on his back, but he felt no pain, only the vibrations of how they harmlessly bounced off his body.

For a moment, the ringing roared loud in Ling's ears, blocking out anything else that might be going on outside. Then he felt it.

It was _him_.

"W-what..." Ling grit his teeth, feeling him nipping at the surface.

" _I-It's you...why are you protecting me?"_ Ling asked in the eternal abyss that was his soul, filled with countless of other souls, all that were screaming in agony.

Among them was the strongest one, it was _his_ soul, the Homunculus.

He chuckled, " _Don't get cocky, piss-ant. I'm not protecting you,"_

Confusion washed over Ling. What...?

He looked down at Lan Fan, who stared up at him, shock and concern written all over her face for her Lord's and friend's wellbeing. She slowly reached a hand up to caress his cheek, an act she normally would never allow under normal circumstances and in her right state of mind, "M-my Lord, a-are you alright?"

Ling's eyes widened in realization, before his face contorted into the one he had tried to keep a secret from her.

Sharp violet eyes and pointy teeth replaced the one of her Lord, the face appearing more rugged than Ling's usual calm, groomed self.

"Let's get you out of here," Lan Fan stiffened, this wasn't the voice of her Lord. It was deeper, more masculine. Just who was-?

She had no time to question the man, he carefully picked her up bridal-style, mindful of her bandaged side and leaped out of the way of danger, coating his exposed arms and chest in a dark metallic substance. When Lan Fan touched it with her hand it felt as hard as steel.

She closed her eyes, tiredly slumping against the body of her Lord, not knowing what to think. Something was wrong with him, this wasn't her Lord.

Maybe she was hallucinating? From the pain? She didn't know, she was exhausted.

She felt the comforting touch of a warm hand caress her cheek, moving aside loose strands of her hair and that same deep voice she heard earlier whisper soothingly in her ears, "Sleep for now. Don't worry about us,"

Lan Fan let her mind shut down.

And sleep.

* * *

When she awoke a second time, she was greeted by dim light, looking at a unfamiliar ceiling.

She heard the semi-familiar voice of the doctor that saved her life, "People will get suspicious if I keep all the lights on. You will have to make do with my bed,"

It clicked.

Her Lord, the house shaking, that Homunculus...

She sat up quickly, "M-my Lord! I-I have to go to him!" she felt dizzy, defeated, exhausted.

"Idiot girl! What would you do in your condition?" the doctor admonished her and Lan Fan was startled out of her reverie. His scolding prompted her to look at the mirror she spotted to her left.

What she saw imbedded itself into her mind and made her heart stop. Her left side was bandaged. But that wasn't what made her freeze.

She didn't have an arm.

Lan Fan's body shook, as if convulsing, then she fell back on the bed, her right arm coming up to shield her eyes from the world, to mask the shock she felt. She had cut off her own arm because she had no other choice but to actually see it...the result...

She bit her tongue, the taste of copper filling her mouth.

 _Sleep for now. Don't worry about us._

Her eyes shot open, realization dawning on her. Wait...

 _Violet sharp eyes staring back at her, toothy smile, that deep voice..._

It had been protecting her...protecting her Lord as well...but where was her Lord...it had been his body and at the same time not...just who was that creature?

 _Lan Fan_

 _Sleep for now. Don't worry about us._

With the voice she was sent into the realm of dreams, she couldn't remember if she did dream something.

The only thing she remembered was the deep voice and the warm, comforting touch of a man she later came to know as Greed the Avaricious.

 **Phew...so how was it? Opinions? Thanks for reading everyone and being so patient with me! :3**


	65. You can't live without them or with them

**(sighs)** Well, I've got some time to spare, I plan on updating all, or at least the majority of my stories, let's hope I manage . There are some I didn't update in _months_ (hides face) god...the horror.

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** (chuckles) Yeah, I got those ideas on a whim while writing the girlfriend lists lol ^^ Personally, I'm not really one for too mushy and cliché things, but I guess from time to time the "inner girl" in me resurfaces and starts writing like that ^^

 **Cassey:** We all Cassey, we all ;) haha

 **Anonymous J:** Oi, oi, making you guys all smiles and sunshine is my job...or err partially (well I wish to be a writer but that dream is farfetched even if I try to pursue it) ;) Haha ah I see, I used to like that too (heavy violence and gore) I still do but also with a interesting plot coupled with comedy too ^^ Thanks, hope so with yours too!

 **Natsu:** Yo! Ah, no I haven't :3 Hmmm...my top ten huh...let's see...FMA: 1. Ed (no surprise there lol), 2. Winry, 3. Greedling, 4. Alphonse, 5. Riza, 6. Roy, 7. Envy, 8. Lust, 9. Wrath (Bradley) and 10. Father. Fairy Tail: 1. Gajeel *.*, 2. Natsu, 3. Erza, 4. Gray, 5. Zeref/Mavis (they share lol), 6. Erik (Cobra), 7. Lucy, 8. Yuriy Dreyar (Makarov's dad), 9. Rogue and last but not least 10. Sting.

 **Bob:** Thanks! :3 Well, the same way they met up in the original, I only changed the time they did and the fight with Bradley (where Ling and Lan Fan fought him) happened a bit later.

 **Penguin20:** Haha no problem ;) Yeah, he regained them (tbh I haven't put _too_ much thought into it) when he encountered Bradley when Ling fought with him.

 **Guest:** Ah, thank you so much! If you would be so kind could you please use a username? Sorry, it's just I think it's impersonal when I call you "Guest" and you praise me so! *.* (blush) thanks so much for all this praise! Haha I'm glad to hear it's getting better with my gibberish writing ^^"

 **Emma:** That's great! Congrats! :D (claps hands)

 **OtakuGirl:** Oh wow! Send her my sincerest congratulations and happy wishes! :)

 **Panic:** Thanks buddy, your reviews make me happy and motivated as always! :) (chuckles) Thank you! I hope I can master all the other ones (slumps tiredly upon thinking of demons called exams .)

 **Enjoy reading ma lovelies! (salute)**

* * *

 **You can't live without them or with them**

Winry laughed, leaning back in her chair as she sipped her tea and tried to suppress the giggle bubbling from her throat when Mei started drifting off into la la land the minute they mentioned a certain boyfriend of hers.

It was Saturday, a lazy day the women claimed for themselves, Ed had received a call from Roy asking if he wanted to hang out with him and the rest at the bar and chat. Ed had been hesitant at first, not keen on leaving Winry alone but she insisted firmly, swatting him away like a fly and throwing his coat over his head, pushing him out the door without any chance for him to yell a protest.

One could say she was all too eager to invite her friends over for a much needed girl talk. They have all been busy in their own ways, Riza had been helping Roy since he had attained the position as Führer just recently and he needed help with the paperwork and the formalities. Mei and Lan Fan had been helping around the hospital as much as they could, Lan Fan guarding in case unexpected intruders would arrive or harm the patients which were from the military, as well as her Lord who had been confined to bed rest. Winry had been getting calls not only from Rush Walley but from Central too, asking for her medical knowledge as well as her engineering skills to create new limbs for the heavily wounded who have lost any limbs in the fight.

Greed had been helping too, it had come as a great shock to them to find out that he had a new body or...was at least a separate entity from Ling. His appearance resembled Ling's largely, though his eyes, clothing and his hairstyle were different. He wore his hair messier and a bit shorter than Ling himself, his pony tail shorter than the Xingese Lord's. Apparently, Lena had insisted he could go for a new look and Greed didn't mind, finding his shorter, spikier hair something that screamed more "Greed". Lena had been helping her _fiancé_ with reconstructing Amestris, helping people in the hospitals, treating the injured and helping Winry with her automail shop.

Needless to say, things have been very hectic for the group but they pulled through. After things died down, the woman had planned to meet up and talk of the events that had transpired but simply never found the time. Until today.

"Well, we certainly know about Mei's love life more than enough now, do tell Riza, how is it on your side?" Winry asked curiously, sipping on her tea.

The newly promoted General leaned back against her seat, a thoughtful look on her face, "Well, I suppose well under these circumstances. Roy is doing his best he can to help settle things the way they were and-"

Winry interrupted her, "Oh, no, no, no! We want to hear about your _personal_ life not the military!" Winry's eyes twinkled a uncharacteristic mirth and amusement, eager to hear the older woman's situation thus far. Lena sent a smirk, resting her chin on her hand.

Riza paused, teacup on her small dish, before she cleared her throat, "I see, to be frank, Roy isn't home as often and neither am I, we are both very busy at the moment so there isn't much going on. But we spend quality time together when work permits us to," she sipped on her tea again. While Riza had experienced many things throughout her life, talking about things that happen behind closed doors, or heaven forbid in the bedroom, still made her feel slightly uncomfortable. But she knew she could trust her friends, so she was willing to try.

"And Roy insists we buy another puppy..." Riza added as an afterthought and Winry laughed.

"Another? But you already have Black Hayate and his pups, how many does he want?" Mei giggled joyfully, Lan Fan was smiling, finding it adorable how a man such as Mustang loved dogs.

Riza shrugged, chuckling quietly.

"Alphonse is always such a big help around the house! He's still recovering and gaining weight steadily but he wants to help me and tells me that he doesn't want to burden me! Can you believe that?! It's so _sweet_!" hearts formed in Mei's eyes, her lips trembling dramatically.

Lena grinned, shaking her head at the images of Al in a apron and cooking dinner.

"If only Ed were like that. Whenever he tries to cook, I'm afraid the kitchen will be set on fire. Though he is getting better at handling machines, with someone like me it's no wonder he will one day be a automail specialist!" Winry's eyes shone with hope but all the women knew that the dream was a bit too...farfetched. Ed and automail? Meh.

"Ling is seeing to his duties as the new Emperor of Xing but he always tries to find time to spend with me. It's funny because I'm always by his side since I'm his sworn bodyguard," Lan Fan commented with a sweet smile, blushing at the thought how sweet and thoughtful Ling could be.

"Is he still...you know...using windows instead of doors to get inside people's houses?" Lena muttered as if it were a secret.

Lan Fan giggled, "We are working on that," she winked and the women laughed.

"Well, I'm glad Greed didn't inherit that trait. Ling and him are like twins that had been separated at birth, whenever they see each-other Ling dramatically runs towards him and starts crying. Greed cries dramatically too but he punches him and then hugs him like they didn't see each-other in years," Lena rolled her eyes playfully, shaking her head.

Winry smirked, "Yeah, I wonder if they weren't together with a women if people would suspect they were homosexual?" the women looked thoughtful, as if seriously contemplating the joking idea until they all burst into laughter at the thought.

Winry leaned back with a large sigh, "Hmm...I guess there's nothing really going on huh?" she chanced a glance at Lena, whose ring was gleaming almost teasingly in the soft light of the room, "Soo...Lena, how's engaged life with Greed going?" she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, a Cheshire grin on her face.

Lena nearly spit out her tea, causing her to cough violently and firmly pound her fist against her chest to stabilize her breathing. Winry snickered, Lan Fan nervously shifted, a feeling dawning on her that things were about to get...interesting.

"We are listening," all the women turned their utmost attention to her suddenly and Lena felt like a deer caught in headlights.

"Uhh...well..." she played with her fingers, a trait she didn't pick up until she met the girls and they sometimes drilled her for information about a certain former Homunculus.

"Do tell, what changed ever since Greed came back from the Gate and isn't a Homunculus anymore?" it was Mei that asked, eagerly awaiting Lena's answer.

The brunette smiled at the younger female and sighed, relaxing, "Not many things to be honest...sure he ages normally now and doesn't have that handy healing ability anymore but I think he's adapting good. Though at times he forgets he doesn't have a philosopher's stone anymore..." Lena rubbed her forehead, remembering certain comedic events, "...like the time he and Ed worked on carrying some wooden planks over to the workers and Greed fell off the ladder...from the fifth floor...yeah, he was cranky that he had to be hospitalized for a week but otherwise he's taking it easier," Lena scratched the back of her neck, smiling.

Surprisingly, Riza uttered the next question, rather bluntly, "And how is your intimacy fairing?"

Lena whipped her head so fast toward the woman that she feared she would get whiplash from the motion, she coughed into her hand, feeling her cheeks burn slightly, "I...y-yeah, well...you know, it...it...well, I mean it's like..." for a brief moment, she was at a loss for words before gathering her courage, "It's g-good...yeah, good," Lena took a large gulp of her tea, suddenly wishing it was something stronger.

Winry pounded her fist against the table," Oh come on Lena! I've been dying to hear embarrassing stories all day! Throw me a bone will you?!" the blonde looked like she would start crying or throwing her wrench at any given moment.

Lena muttered dryly, "You're spending too much time with Ed..." before she cleared her throat again, throwing shyness out of the window, "Alright, alright. I'm not sure if you guys will believe me but...Greed's a real gentleman and a sweetheart too." Lena had to giggle when she saw the expression on her friends faces.

"I'm serious, he may seem like a total ass...most of the time, but he's pretty sweet when we are alone. Can you believe he started learning how to cook when I had been ill that one time? It had been so adorable," Lena sighed dreamily before she snapped out of her thoughts," A-and concerning the bedroom part...we were both messes at first. I've been surprised to learn that it had been his first time too, can you believe that? He's been acting like such a stud all the time and a womanizer but he was the polar opposite,"

"Then what happened?" Lan Fan innocently rested her chin against her hands, looking far too innocent for asking such a question.

Lena scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment, "He was careful at first and all...then we found out we both liked it a little bit more...rough? I mean, I doubted we would be the couple that goes for flowery rainbow sex anyway but yeah..." she giggled suddenly, "He's especially sweet and cuddly in the morning after,"

All four heads leaned in to listen intently, "We usually shower together in the morning, or the bastard surprises me and I almost have a heart attack...whichever comes first. Anyway, whenever I _attempt_ to cook breakfast, Greed just sneaks up behind me and hugs me like a teddy bear, I swear sometimes he's like a cat." She crossed her arms with a embarrassed blush.

Winry snickered, "Hoho, so I don't have to worry about you gathering dust between your legs huh?" Lena sent the blonde a dirty look at her mischievous remark.

"So...how's Ed?" Lena shot back, a large smirk stretching over her face and Winry nearly shrieked in surprise, face going a full blown red.

* * *

 _Outside the Elric-Rockbell house_

"Ha! That's my girl, her bite's as hard as her bark!" Greed grinned proudly, pressing his ear tighter against the door.

Ling was comfortably slung over the former Homunculus, content to have a resting spot and listen to what the women were talking about.

Ed looked like he would explode, "What the hell does she mean I would set the kitchen on fire? I never did that with alchemy and I certainly won't do that now!" he crossed his arms, nose in the air. Alphonse just smiled nervously, looking slightly out of place while spying on his girlfriend.

Roy sighed, shaking his head, "Would you quiet down before we get caught? Remember, we were supposed to be in town and not spying on our women,"

Ed shot the Führer a dirty glare, "Ohhh and _who's_ idea was it in the first place to come here huh? Definitely not mine!" he stuck his tongue out childishly at the older man.

"Why you-!" before Roy could get his hands on him and strangle him, Greed hissed sharply.

"Would you pussies quiet down?! I can't hear what they are saying!" he whisper-shouted at his partners in crime, eagerly listening to the murmurings inside.

" _Wow, really? I didn't know Ed was into roleplay, Winry!"_ Lena laughed, causing the rest to join in as well. Alphonse clamped his hands over his ears, intent on not finding out anything about his brother that little brother's weren't supposed to know.

" _I was surprised too, but it works miracles on him. Though I think his favorite is when I'm in my old outfit, you know the one with the black tube top and the overalls? I love teasing him with that when we have customers over and I sometimes wear them on a hot day,"_ the women laughed again loudly.

Ed's ears and face were burning like a tomato and Roy clamped his hands over his mouth to muffle his laughter, rolling on the floor. Greed and Ling were shaking violently, trying to suppress their laughter too.

"Shut it you jerks," Ed muttered, sending his friends a death glare.

"Shhh, my lovely Lan Fan is next!" Ling hushed, pressing his ear against the door.

" _I love him, but sometimes he's such a messy man. I have to pick up clothes and robes after him and he spends an unusual amount of time combing his hair and putting it into his pony tail,"_ Winry in particular laughed at this. Ling seemingly turned to stone, the poor man crying water fall tears as Greed petted his back sympathetically.

" _You haven't met Ed in the morning, he spends his time in front of the mirror more than me. Especially while doing his hair into a braid,"_ Ed growled under his breath.

Greed's ears perked up at the mention of his name, " _Oh Greed? To be honest, he's got his quirks but I think they are cute. Whenever he's confused, he tilts his head to the side like a dog and scratches the back of his neck or when he sees that I'm reading on the couch or simply relaxing he sits behind me and strokes my hair until I fall asleep, god I love that. And...did I mention, before he goes out, he checks himself over in front of the mirror, if his hair is right, if his clothes fit right and if his teeth look all sharp and sexy like they usually are."_ The women must have sent Lena disturbed looks because she defended herself, " _W-what? I like them, okay?"_

"Aww, that's a good doggie!" Ed, with a cat-like grin, smiled and petted Greed's head playfully. Greed almost ripped his arm off with a growl.

" _Alphonse is simply the best! I love him so much! I especially love when he wraps himself around me like I'm his teddy bear and I wake up all snuggled into his arms! And did I mention his habit of bringing home stray cats when he thinks I'm not looking? How cute!"_ there was mutual agreement between the women.

Ed shot his brother a displeased look, "I knew I heard suspicious mews coming from the basement!" Al had the decency to look nervous, turning his head away to whistle innocently.

 _"_ _Oh and he's so sweet and gentle with me in bed! And it's so cute that he blushes whenever I try to take control every once and a while, he looks so cute!"_ Mei talked happily, eliciting gasps and laughter from her friends.

Ed was trying hard to muffle his laughter, tears in his eyes, Roy was already rolling on the floor, crying from suppressing his laughter. Greed and Ling were messes, sprawled on top of one another and pounding their fists against the other to try and still their need to laugh.

"Oh poor Al!" Ed slapped his shy brother on the back, wiping away a tear. Alphonse was mortified, hiding his face with his hands, the blush he was sporting seemed to be permanent.

* * *

 _A few hours later...at Greed and Lena's home_

Greed tried to look as normal as he could, laying on the couch, in his opinion, sprawled like a god, dressed in a black sleeveless undershirt, hands behind his head, legs crossed over one another, whistling innocently by the time Lena arrived.

When she took off her coat and shoes and entered the living room to find Greed in that position, she rose an eyebrow, "...Why are you laying like that?" she tilted her head, a hand to her chin.

Greed froze, "Like what? I always sit like a god," Lena rolled her eyes and walked to stand in front of Greed, arms crossed, patronizing stare in place.

"Do you have something to hide... _dearest_?" she stressed the word, brown eyes boring into violet ones.

Greed stiffened, "No...why the hell w-would you think that?" he pouted, turning his gaze away.

His attention immediately shifted when he felt his fiancée suddenly sit on his lap, toned legs on either side of his hips.

He blinked up at her owlishly, swallowing the lump in his throat when Lena lazily trailed her hand up his chest, "Oh, I don't know...you know, I had a great time with the girls today..."

The smile on her face made Greed feel weak in the legs, positively seductive and teasing. God damn it.

"Y-yeah?" he cursed himself for his voice coming out so deep and husky.

His eyes followed the path her hand took, lazily caressing his chest. Greed swallowed, _hard_.

"Mhmm..." she smirked, "How was your night with the guys? What did you talk about?" Greed was sure she was planning on killing him, because she slightly shifted her hips, causing Greed to freeze and bite his tongue.

"Uh...well...you know...what guys usually talk...about," his eyes followed the movement of her mouth when she bit her lips, looking mischievous.

"Really? Because I thought I heard somebody outside the house while we were talking..."

"Uh-huh..." Greed was too distracted, her hand trailing lower till his stomach.

"And we thought we heard something so we went to look..."

"Yeah, of course," Greed's eyes were glued to her hand.

"And..." she drawled, a dangerous smile suddenly overtaking her features as her eyes turned into jaded browns, "We saw _you_ with Ed, Mustang, Al and Ling!"

Greed snapped out of his increasingly dirty thoughts, immediately feeling fear grip his heart when he saw Lena was looking like she would skin him alive.

"W-w-wait woman I can explain!" he tried to save his sorry ass.

Tried.

She adopted a kitten like smile, sliding off of her fiancé and walking toward their bedroom.

"Greed, I think you and I both know what this means..." Greed gulped, "I think the couch missed you quite a bit, why not get reacquainted with him hmm?"

Greed's eyes widened, "W-what?! B-But Lennaaaa!" Greed shot up from the couch, running after her and falling to his knees, hugging her waist, "Please! I swear we didn't hear nothin'! It was harmless!"

"Oh really?" she turned to look at him with a secretive smile, "That means that you also didn't hear that thing I said about you...you know...our bedroom," she winked.

Greed's mind drew a blank, he quickly shook his head, "Uhh..."

"B-bedroom?" he didn't like the look on her face.

She nodded, "Mhm, you know, when I would dress up..." violet eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

" _D-d-d-d-dress u-u-up?!"_ he thought his jaw would drop to the floor, he didn't hear anything about anyone dressing up!

She giggled, "Oh don't worry, it wasn't anything interesting. Just a suggestion," she grinned and shut the door of the bathroom, locking it behind her, leaving Greed standing there with his eyes wide and mouth open in shock.

He was definitely sure. This woman would be the death of him.

* * *

 _With Roy and Riza..._

"G-G-General...w-w-we can negotiate o-over this!" Roy was cowering before his girlfriend, four steaming bullet holes located right above his head, between the spaces of his arms and one directly under his groin. Roy was sweating buckets.

Riza reloaded her gun, "I don't think so, Roy..." she smirked.

Their neighbours swore they heard a little girl's scream coming from the Führer's house that night.

* * *

 _With Al and Mei_

Al was reading a book about Alkahestry when Mei strolled into their bedroom, a uncharacteristic smirk on her lips.

Alphonse rose an eyebrow, "Mei? Is something wrong?" he asked concerned, blissfully unaware of his impending doom.

Instead of replying, she turned the lights off and Al's eyes widened when he suddenly felt his hands being cuffed to the bedpost.

"W-w-what the-?!" his golden eyes were wide, fear gripping him when he felt the familiar touch of his girlfriend on his cheek.

"Shh...Alphonse, you didn't think I would let you go unpunished after spying on us did you...?"

Al didn't bother trying to muffle his screams.

* * *

 _With Ed and Winry_

"So, Ed, did you and everyone have a good time?" Winry asked with her back to her boyfriend, putting away her tools.

Ed looked at her, laying on the bed, his automail leg currently gone and on Winry's worktable, to be examined still. He wondered what took her so long this time.

"Yeah, I guess. Mustang was being annoying like usual. Ling just kept talking about Lan Fan all the time. Greed talked about Lena all the time and how it felt weird being a human," Ed said nonchalantly, looking up at the ceiling.

"Oh really?" a dark gleam was in Winry's eyes, "Could you close your eyes for a moment?"

Ed shot her back a confused look but did as he was told, closing his eyes and waiting for her to give the ok to open them.

Winry peeked over her shoulder, making sure his eyes were closed as she tip toed her way to him.

Ed jumped from the sudden yet very familiar feeling of automail being attached to his nerves again.

Though, when he looked down at his legs, he didn't see his automail leg, instead he saw that tiny little imitation that Winry had once made for his arm as a joke, which looked more like a chicken's than anything else.

"W-what the-!? Winry! What are you... d-doing?" Ed's voice died down when he saw the demonic expression on Winry's face, the biggest wrench he ever saw her hold before in her hands.

"Ed...this is what you get for spying on us..."

Ed's eyes widened and he shot out of the bed, trying in vain to crawl away from his angry, demonic girlfriend.

"N-no! H-h-have mercy! HEELPP!" Ed shouted at the top of his lungs, his screams heard through the whole of Resembool.

* * *

 _With Ling and Lan Fan_

"My Lord...what do you say?" Lan Fan commanded in a sharp, firm tone.

"I-I'm sorry my Lady!" Ling squeaked out, comedic tears running down his face like a waterfall.

Lan Fan sharply hit his backside with a riding crop she "borrowed" from the stalls, "I cannot hear you my Lord!"

"I-I'm sooorrryyy!" Ling cried out, a shivering mess as his hands were tied behind his back, his feet tied together with a thick, black cord.

He was helpless.

"You forgot something..." she hit him again.

"I'm sorry MY LADY!" Ling whimpered.

Lan Fan smirked.

Sometimes, but only sometimes, she enjoyed the privileges of being the Emperor's personal bodyguard...

 **The end! ^^ Eheh...yeah...good? Awkward? Weird?** I don't know, I lost inspiration somewhere in the middle, a bit sooner, so I hope it's not **too** bad! ^^"


	66. Coming Back

Yoo I'm back! (grins) Better enjoy the time I have now for writing because next week exams are coming and I won't be back so soon unfortunately! (scratches neck) I hope you guys are satisfied with my one shots so far! IF you don't mind I just had the strongest urge to write this, don't worry REQUESTS will come too of course!

 **INFO ON CHAPTER:** takes place in **episode 61 of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood!** BUT with Lena included this time!

 **Enjoy!**

 **Coming Back**

Greed expertly maneuvered up the walls and tubes, jumping from one side to the other until he finally entered the light and did a flip mid-air, landing on his feet behind Lan Fan and the wounded Scar.

He straightened himself, bare arms covered in the ultimate shield when Lan Fan called out to him, "Young Lord!" worriedly, turning to look at him and scanning him for injuries.

Greed rested his hands on his hips, annoyed, "The name's Greed now. Jeez, I can't believe you bothered to tag along all the way down he-" Greed's exasperated rant was cut off by a very familiar cry.

"You fool!" a steel covered boot slammed itself squarely in his face, sending the stunned Homunculus crashing to the ground, his healing abilities healing his broken jaw.

When he looked up, he saw her. Lena. She had come seemingly out of nowhere, she was panting heavily, favoring her right side, blood on the side of her face.

He frowned as he slowly stood up, blinking at her, then annoyance and anger took over his features, "What the-?!"

Lena cut him off sharply, "Where the _hell_ were you?! I was worried sick damn it! I'll kill you the next time you decide to do something reckless and stupid! I don't care that you're some big, bad Homunculus, Father could have killed you Greed! I swear I'll-"

Her sentence died in her throat when Greed was in front of her in seconds, moving so fast not even her trained eyes could follow him.

"You're hurt," his anger and annoyance was gone, his tone laced with worry and seriousness at the hunched position she was in, trying to favor her right side, obviously from an injury. And she was bleeding. Damn.

Brown eyes were like fire, "Don't change the subject-"

Greed growled, annoyed, "Would you shut up for one second?! I heard ya woman, but let me see your injuries," he ignored her enraged look and carefully pushed up her shirt, exposing her taut stomach, wincing when he saw the deep gash, the cloth which she tied around herself as a make-shift bandaged caked in blood, "You're too injured to fight. Where is the Alkahestry brat when you need her?" he looked around, his annoyance steadily rising.

The Homunculus looked angry but froze when Lena cupped his face gently in her hands, tears streaming down her face, "You i-idiot...stop worrying about me, worry about yourself!" she fought stubbornly against the tears and her own emotions, resting her forehead against Greed's broad chest so he didn't see her tears.

The man looked down at her surprised, he released a heavy sigh and rested his hand on top of her head, soothingly stroking her scalp, "It's alright, I'm alright Lena," he pulled her close, closing his eyes to soak in her warmth.

When he opened them, he noticed something.

They broke apart and Lena noticed where his gaze traveled to, "That's Wrath! I see...so, they finally got him huh?" Greed commented, a sorrowful expression on his face, his gaze trained on the corpse of his brother.

Lena noticed his gaze, recognized the emotions written over his face even if he would have vehemently denied them, she noticed the way his teeth clenched and his jaw set tight, noticed the way he clenched his shaking fists tighter.

"Bastard dies with a peaceful look on his face...pisses me off," Greed's frown darkened, his words were quieter than usually, but his face spoke volumes of his emotions.

"Greed..." she squeezed his bicep, looking at the corpse of Bradley then back at Greed.

" _I_ wanted to be the one that sees the light fade from his eyes," Lena bit her lip, "You stay here," Greed suddenly turned away from her, intent on going up to confront his father.

Lena wasn't having any of that, "What?! No! Are you insane?! I ain't following orders from you! And you can't take him on alone Greed!" she didn't want to bruise his ego and tell him he was too weak to deal with him one on one, but that was the truth and if that took to get through that thick skull of his, then she would gladly deal low blows to his ego to accomplish that.

Greed stopped, "Who said anything about taking him on alone? The rest is up there too,"

"I can still fight-" she tried to convince him, but she should have known better.

"No you can't!" Greed barked harshly, loudly, his words bouncing off the walls of the empty rubble around them.

He still didn't turn to look at her, "Stop shitting me Lena, you wouldn't survive five seconds out there on the battlefield, now do me a favor and don't come up. Let the runt treat you first, I'll be fine," Greed felt his throat burn, the words tasted like acid on his tongue, like bile rising up his throat at the lie, a thing he swore he never did.

Until she came along.

She managed to flip his already chaotic and messed up world, upside down, but not once, every time he met her she managed to make him question himself, make him question his plans and dreams and ambitions until now, everything. Nothing was easy with her, either it was complicated or downright impossible. And he hated himself for feeling like he did whenever she was around, his heart would pick up the pace, his mind would be all jumbled, words wouldn't flow out of his mouth as smoothly as they always did at times...

And the most terrifying thing was, she saw through him. She was the only one, besides Ling, that could see through his fake smiles, "evil" laughter and overall bad guy act. He didn't know how she did it, but it made him be wary around her at first, he didn't like it when people saw his cards.

And he didn't like it now.

Lena narrowed her eyes suspiciously, her voice strong, "How do I know you're not lying?" Greed blinked, but quickly composed himself.

He chuckled dryly, "I never lie, sweetheart," was his smooth reply.

But the woman didn't buy it, she never did, "Then why aren't you looking at me Greed?!" she growled sharply, tired of his games.

The Homunculus froze, violet eyes widening at her angered tone, his fist shook and his lips drew in a thin line, "I have to go,"

A body slammed into his back suddenly, leaving him breathless, "No you won't! I...I can't, I won't let you die! Not you or Ling! You can't freaking do this to me Greed! Don't I mean anything at all to you, you stupid ass?! You can't do this, not after we..." she bit her tongue, fighting back her burning hot tears.

Greed turned around in her vice-like grip and wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her close to him, like he wanted to shield her from everyone and only have her to himself, "Lena...I have to do this, if not you could all die,"

Lena was caught off guard by Greed's embrace but nonetheless she told him exactly what was on her mind, "What does my life matter if I can't spend it with you?" her voice was trembling with emotions.

Greed broke away enough to look at her disheartened expression, the tears still sliding down her cheeks, he brushed one away with his thumb affectionately, "Damn stubborn woman," he muttered under his breath until he leaned in to kiss her passionately, like his life depended on it, like it would be their last kiss.

She kissed him back, losing her battle against her own emotions.

Greed broke apart hesitantly, before he lost the will to leave entirely. In a intimate gesture, he rested his forehead against her own, his hot breath fanning her face gently as he whispered lowly, "Stay safe, this will be over before you know it," he lovingly kissed her forehead, closing his eyes to savor the feeling of her in his arms, before he leaped up onto a wall and was out of sight.

Lan Fan was by Lena's side at a moment's notice, supporting her as emotions and physical pain weakened her.

But Lena smiled, smirked even.

Lan Fan furrowed her eyebrows, more than confused and stunned at what she had witnessed, "Lena, are you alright?"

The brunette smiled, "Yeah...I trust him Lan Fan, even if he lied to me. Greed is not stupid, he would need to be suicidal to try and anger me," Lan Fan didn't know how to react, instead she led Lena down to the ground near Scar to rest.

Lena looked up at the bright light that shone it's way in through the large hole, a small smile adorning her face.

She closed her eyes and remembered her first shared night with Greed.

It had been several months after the group had been travelling, almost a year. It happened before Pride and Gluttony had attacked them surprisingly in Reole, ironically enough, they have been in a fight.

The reason for their fight itself seemed lost to her now, she vaguely recalled something about sleeping arrangements and who was the "leader" of the group. Then they went into a discussion about how much of a bastard Greed was and that his behavior wasn't gentleman-like at all.

The first kiss had been Greed's fault.

The first punch was delivered by Lena. She remembered exactly how Greed had caught her fist, the impact sending them tumbling to the futon on the floor, with her on top of him.

She remembered them trading insults back and forth, his saucy remarks on why she wasn't getting off him. The second kiss had been her fault.

Shockingly enough, Greed had stopped their kissing session and had looked at her with all seriousness he could muster.

" _Despite being a bastard, I don't force myself on women,"_ he had told her then.

She had replied with this, " _Do I give you the impression of being forced? Stupid Homunculus, I thought it was obvious I...you know..."_ she had lost her courage to confess to him, until he ignited her anger.

" _You what sweetheart?"_ he had grinned like the devil.

" _That I fell in love with you, you damned-"_ he had silenced her with a passionate kiss.

Hands had wandered, caresses had been traded, loving gestures exchanged and in the climax of their passion, Greed had whispered the one thing he had kept secret from everyone into her ear, " _I love you too Lena, even if I shouldn't,"_

She remembered how they were cuddled close together, the effects of their afterglow not clouding their minds and how Greed had poked fun at her for "tiring her out". Oh how she had wanted to punch him good if she hadn't been so sore then.

She remembered how she jokingly told him she wanted to finally sleep. Her back had been turned to him and Greed had wrapped himself around her and whispered softly into her ear, " _Not without me,"_ his hand held hers the whole night long.

"Go and get them good Greed," Lena smiled, she knew the bastard would return.

And he did.


	67. Small Signs of Love

**Hey everyone,** finally it's Friday, I thought it would never come . Well, a lot has been going on so I hope this one shot won't be too badly written! A bit on the funny side and a bit on the serious side :3

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS :**

 **Panic:** (rubs chin) Hm...Sig and Izumi huh? Well, the suggestion is good but the fic will be loosely based, but based nonetheless, on the old song of Taylor Swift which is more of a interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, which I don't really think would apply to Izumi and Sig (the forbidden love, opposite sides...etc.) that's why I had the idea of Greed X Lena, since I put Lena on the side of Ed & Co. where she was fighting against Greed in the beginning. Ah, btw Panic, I wanted to ask you about one of your prompts, the one where Greed passes on Ling's message...call me stupid if I'm wrong please do, it's been a stressful day and my brain seems to be steadily shutting down, but didn't Ling receive a message from Lan Fan (in Xingese)or maybe I missed something out . T_T haha Don't worry about it, I'm demanding myself and pretty selfish, writing my ideas instead of reader's prompts . Well, I really like, for some reason, the Greed X Lena pairing so you may see more of them than anyone would really like I'm afraid ^^

 **Lily:** haha thanks Lil'! Well, I never thought I would like a Greed x OC pairing as much as I like him with my OC Lena ^^ Ofc though I still like Greelingfan too ;) I just imagined Lena being a bit of a potty mouth (but not as much as Greed) to match him in temper and stubbornness, also because she's more of a tomboy than a girl girl that too (guess I applied a few aspects of myself in her too ^^).

 **Emma:** (blinks in surprise, sits down and thinks) Hmmm...a whole separate fanfic about Greed X Lena huh? (smirks slowly) Heh...well, I will definitely consider it...multiple times, if I finish at least ONE of my currently 13 in-progress stories then I will definitely add them to the bunch too if there are enough requests for them. ^_^ Thanks Emma for the idea and the compliments!

 **Bob:** You're welcome Bob!

 **Natsu:** Fairy Tail huh? Well, on what season are you right now? I would hate to spoil anything, BUT if you heard of the "Alvarez Arc" then well...I'm not sure if after that there will be any seasons truthfully, perhaps one or two more if dear Mashima has more wonderful ideas, as there are still many questions left unanswered. (shrugs)

 **Anonymous J:** Hi there buddy! How's school going? I hope you don't have as much stress as I do (laughs) haha Thank you, honestly, I really like to hear when I did something right and that it makes people happy and smile (smiles sweetly) Thanks, I'm still working on the "good night's rest" bit but otherwise I'm fine, just wish I had a sword to fight off those pesky demons called "exams" (shiver) (reads your last sentence and smirks evilly) Ah, a horror prompt huh? Hihi, I could write a funny/scary one and a serious/terrifying one just send me some ideas if you have any! ;) Nah, don't worry, my dear readers never bother me!

* * *

 **Small Signs of Love**

"Well _fine_ you _don't_ have to listen to me! Noisy woman, it was just a innocent look!" Greed growled, glaring heatedly at his girlfriend, who looked about ready to murder him.

Brown eyes blazed like hot embers as she took a step toward her tall boyfriend, hands on her hips, her teeth grit tightly together before she barked sharply, "An _innocent look_?! And you expect me to _believe_ that? Are you fucking insane?! Do you think I'm stupid Greed? I saw the way you looked at her!"

Greed detected the note of hurt in his girlfriend's voice, anger and hurt. Great. "The way I-well how did I look at her?! I just _looked_ at her Lena, for two seconds! You know I love you! Why the hell would I be two timing you anyway?! We are happy ain't we? Unless ya got something to tell me, sweetheart," Greed crossed his arms, violet eyes narrowing.

Lena grew even more furious, _enraged_ ," You got some balls, throwing my question right back at me when you have nothing to even be suspicious about! Who would _I_ be even two timing you with anyway?!" she growled, deciding to humor him and answer his ridiculous question.

"Oh, _I don't know_ , maybe my better half Ling?! Or the Elric runt?! Maybe even that, what was that farmer's name...Rob? Robert? Whatever, I don't care! What about them huh?" Greed scoffed childishly, intent on winning this fight.

Lena's eyes widened at just how _ridiculous_ this whole conversation was! She couldn't believe her boyfriend of _four fucking years_ just said that, the nerve of him! "How _dare_ you Greed! We've been together now for four years already! How the hell can you even possibly think I would ever cheat on you?! And Ling?! _LING_?! Did you hit your head somewhere? Multiple times? He's with Lan Fan for hell's sake! And he's not even my type! I like your untamed, wild look a lot more! _Ed_...need I remind you that the man has a _fiancée_ and both happen to be my best friends?! How in the world would I date Ed?! And that Robert Windmill guy flirts with practically every woman! He did the same shit with Winry and Riza! Maybe he just likes blonde spitfires I don't know!" Lena threw her hands up in the air in exasperation.

Greed pointed a accusing finger at her, "Well, _you_ aren't blonde! A damn spitfire, but not blonde! And need _I_ remind _you_ that I seriously am not into redheads or blondes?" Greed gave her a dry look, not believing how very ridiculous his longtime girlfriend could be when she set her mind to it.

Lena flushed, "T-that doesn't matter! You looked at that bimbo and that was enough for me! She was practically stripping you with her eyes Greed!" she crossed her arms, turning her back to him, her cheeks red in annoyance.

She heard him sigh deeply, then felt him right behind her, "I don't give a flying fuck that she stripped me with her eyes, you know why?" then he leaned down and whispered close to her ear, his hot breath fanning her ear and neck, "Because you're the only woman that knows how I actually look like under all these clothes. She can imagine, but you can remember every single detail," Lena shivered despite trying hard to suppress it.

Greed continued, a small grin forming on his face at her shiver, "While other women may dream and drool of me holding em' or kissing em', you can do that anytime, any day, anywhere. You can slap me and I won't do a damn thing, others try to slap me, they lose an arm. You can punch and kick me, but I will never hit you, others can do that, I'll beat them within an inch of their life. You kiss me, I'll kiss you double, any other bitch tries to, I'll bite off their tongue." Greed wrapped his arms around her waist, his warmth seeping into her back, calming her.

He pressed his lips gently against the side of her neck, "I kiss you, you kiss me back and leave me breathless. Other guys kiss you and you would rip off their balls. You touch me, I'll make ya coming back for more, other guys try to touch you and _I_ will make sure they were never born. You kiss me, I thank Truth for each and every day with you." Greed nuzzled her neck affectionately, hugging her closely.

"I say I love you..." Greed began but Lena smiled and finished for him, tears in her eyes.

"...I say I love you more than my life," she finished softly, turning in his arms and launching herself into his, kissing him passionately.

He smiled and kissed her back, gently breaking apart to nuzzled his nose against hers affectionately.

Lena sighed, "You know how jealous I can sometimes get...and it's not because I think you would ever betray me, I know you wouldn't. It's because I think I'm not good enough and that I-mpffh!" Greed silenced her with his lips, kissing her again, leaving her slightly dazed as he sent her a fanged smirk.

"Bullshit, sweets, bullshit. You're the best damn thing that could have happened to me, I won't let your insecurities or anyone else come between us," Greed smiled softly, nuzzling into her hair and kissing her forehead.

Lena smiled, gently caressing his cheek.

Slowly, a smirk stretched over her lips, "So..." she began, wrapping her arms around his neck, one leg around his waist, "I kiss you..." she kissed him, passionately, intensely.

After she broke away, it was Greed that was left a little dazed, he automatically hoisted her up, her long strong legs wrapping around his waist, "I kiss you back..."

She grinned, "I touch you..." she let her hand trail from his powerful neck down to his chest and stomach, making teasing patterns through his shirt.

Greed growled, his hands squeezing and caressing her thighs," I touch you back..." he growled lowly, violet eyes darkening.

Lena licked her lips, trailing them teasingly over his neck, suckling, "I bite you..." she softly bit into a sensitive spot on his neck she knew all too well.

Greed growled, a deep, guttural sound which traveled in the form of a violent shiver all the way down to Lena's toes, he leaned his mouth down to her own neck and lavished it wetly with his tongue, before biting a little harder, the way she liked it. His reward was a low, drawn out moan, "I fucking bite you back," Greed growled.

Lena, dazed herself, fisted his hair, making him look directly into her eyes, "I...tell you to have some fun?" she smiled an impish, deceivingly sweet smile and Greed's grin couldn't have been wider without splitting his face into two.

"I say hell yes!" Greed cheered, carrying his laughing wife towards their bedroom.

* * *

Ed tapped his foot against the floorboards nervously, his throat tightening up further and his hands feeling clammy and sweaty when he heard his wife approaching closer to the living room, where he was standing, a nervous wreck.

"Ed? Where are you? I need you to-E-Ed?!" Winry gasped in shock, blue eyes blinking uncontrollably at the scene before her.

Her husband was standing there, the whole setting extremely cheesy yet so very sweet.

He was holding a bouquet of red roses and tiger lilies in his hands, behind him, the letters, which were _handmade_ by Edward Elric of _automail parts_ , read, " _My wife, my life, I love you always,"_ it was extremely cheesy and so unexpected that Winry did the first thing she could in this situation.

She laughed.

Hard.

"E-E-Ed! I...oh my god...I just c-can't-" she continued to laugh loudly, holding her stomach.

The tall man blinked in confusion, pouting like a child being denied candy. He crossed his arms and scoffed, "What now? Yeah, yeah, I ain't such a fancy engineer like you, but I did my best and if you don't like it then I can-" Ed's breath was knocked out of him so suddenly he fell backward to the couch, the added weight of Winry on top of him making him look up at her in surprise.

"W-Win? W-what..?" tears were in her eyes and that got him alarmed.

"Y-you dork...you sweet dork...I'm so happy I married such a sweet idiot like you!" she wrapped her arms around him, kissing his cheeks affectionately and placing a sweet kiss on his lips, which he returned.

Ed blinked slowly, before smiling and pulling the flowers closer, "So...you like it?" tearfully, Winry accepted the flowers, smelling their sweet fragrance and smiling down at him.

"Like it? I love it Ed! This is the sweetest thing you ever did! Thank you so much! But you really didn't have to you know?" she smiled, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

Edward grinned and shook his head, grinning from ear to ear, "Of course I did! What sort of a husband would I be if I didn't do something special and cheesy on my wife's birthday?" he smiled and hugged her, stroking her back, the flowers momentarily forgotten on the coffee table.

Winry sighed happily, cuddling closer to him, observing the metallic letters," Without alchemy...you're amazing did I tell you that?" Winry whispered, playing with his pony tail.

Ed chuckled, "No, but you should more," he winked and caressed her cheek with his thumb, "But it's you that's amazing Win, more than I ever could be," the blonde woman shook her head at her husband's sweet and kind words and kissed him gently, content to simply bask in his presence and just cuddle with him lazily on the couch.

Ed didn't complain, he didn't complain at all.

He was glad she liked it. He already had in mind what he would do next year...

* * *

"What is wrong, dear?" Mrs. Bradley asked her husband, sipping her tea and looking at him with soft, worried eyes, the slight wrinkles around them moving with the motion of her frown.

Bradley looked at her from his newspaper, a underlying anger beneath his façade of calm collectiveness as he thought of the events that had transpired that day.

Greed, his second reincarnation, had attacked him and had almost harmed his wife and Pride, he didn't care much for Pride, for he knew the Homunculus in disguise would take care of himself and regenerate, unfortunately, his dear human wife didn't have those capabilities. He had been ready to tear Greed's head clean off his shoulders if the pest hadn't put up his shield in the nick of time and fled through the window. Wrath had been very tempted to chase after him and teach him a lesson, but he was more concerned about his shaken and terrified wife, who had been clutching Selim closely to her, protecting him like any mother would.

It had broken his heart to see her so shaken, for things that could have very well been prevented if his dear Father and his Homunculi brethren had been more prepared.

Wrath had still be furious after that ordeal, dealing with noisy authorities and the military hadn't been very welcome either, so here he was, sitting in the living room and trying to read the newspaper, but his wife seemed to have noticed his mood. Had he been too open? Didn't he hide it better?

Bradley though smiled happily like he always did, trying to reassure his wife, "Wrong? Why nothing is wrong, I'm simply reading the newspaper," he sent her a smile but he was caught off guard when her face hardened and her voice came out strong as she spoke.

"I have known you for far too long to have you deceive me, dear. We have been married for a long time, don't you think I notice when you try to hide your anger?" he visibly tensed, alarmed at this confession. Of course, he didn't think she was completely oblivious, but he also thought he was doing a good job of hiding the majority of his emotions from her.

"Is this about that man that had attacked us today?" Bradley noted the fear in her voice and his jaw tightened, she had truly been terrified then, of Greed, of one of his brethren.

Bradley cleared his throat, no longer wearing a mask of a forced smile, rather the wrinkles on his face became more pronounced with the slight frown he showed openly, "I have just been worried, surely you understand. We have only the best of security stationed here and to think one simple man such as him could have easily gained access into the house...I'm afraid of what will happen if I'm gone and you and Selim are alone at home," in truth, Bradley only cared about keeping _her_ safe, since Pride wasn't in any real danger due to him secretly being a Homunculus, but he couldn't tell her that.

Mrs. Bradley's worried expression melted into a warm smile, making her appear slightly younger, her lines softening, the crease in her brows flattening, "I understand and I'm scared as well, but...there is no need to be afraid, right?" Bradley blinked at her, not understanding where his wife was coming from, "I mean, you're my husband, you're the Führer, I know I am safe when I'm with you, no matter if you're here or not. If that man would have come into the house and you weren't at home, I'm sure I would just need to call you loudly and you would appear within the same minute to protect Selim and I." Her eyes were full of love when she looked at him.

Wrath was stunned, completely caught off guard as he inspected his wife. Those words had been the _last_ things he had expected to hear from her, truly. He knew his wife may be very kind and generous, but she wasn't dim witted and certainly not as oblivious as many perceived her to be, as he himself, perceived her to be.

He set aside the paper and stood from his position on the couch, his wife looked up at him in surprise at his sudden change of place, standing up as well.

Bradley approached his wife and wrapped his arms around her, one hand against the back of her head to gently lean her forehead against his shoulder, the other resting securely around her waist.

Wrath would have been ridiculed, spited and thought a fool if any of his Homunculi brethren or Father would have seen him likes this, but he didn't care. All he cared about was her. This woman. The woman that was his wife, his precious wife, the one thing in the world he truly cared for and cherished.

She seemed to be in shock for the first few moments, until he felt her wrap her arms around his waist, grasping at his white dress shirt. He leaned his chin down to rest on the crown of her head, sighing deeply, inhaling her familiar scent, it made his previously madly boiling blood calm down almost instantly.

He was the sin representing wrath and anger, that much was true, but he was the calmest he could ever be when he was with his wife, his family, his treasure. He was at ease, peaceful...and sometimes, in those foolish moments where he allowed himself the pleasure of relaxing with her, he mistook himself for a real human, an actual human being, not the monster he truly was. She had that ability to sometimes make him forget that fact, where he felt more like a man than ever.

And he cherished her deeply for that. He affectionately kissed her forehead, stroking her hair and back soothingly, she relaxed against him, her weight pressing pleasantly against his body, "Everything will be alright, dear, I promise you that," he hugged her tighter, closer, wishing desperately that his words rang true.

She could only nod into his shoulder, before she found her voice again and uttered in a tone he only heard because of his enhanced hearing, "I know it will, because I have you,"

Wrath smiled, basking in the presence that was his amazing and loving wife.

The only thing in the world he ever willingly chose. The only thing he wouldn't trade for anything, he would give his Philosopher's Stone without missing a heartbeat if it meant she was safe and sound.

Because he loved her that much.

* * *

Pride was as silent as the shadows he commanded, hiding behind their darkness to conceal himself from the keen eyes of his brother Wrath.

He had listened into their conversation and watched the entire exchange, he felt a voice at the back of his mind, snickering in disgust, " _How pathetic, a Homunculus as powerful as Wrath, reduced to nothing but a weakling in front of a mere human woman,"_

Pride paid the voice, his inner sin, no mind. Without a sound, he left the room, the smile on Wrath's and his mother's face playing in front of his mind's eye.

The end for this one! Well, I hope I met Panic's expectations of this chapter (though I have the feeling like she meant something else to be written? ^^") **Reviews are always very appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	68. My First Friend

Hi there, back again folks! Half done with homework so I decided to do a little break and write up a new one shot! :)

BTW: This is a prompt from **daughterofapollo12345** and I hope she likes it and that I met her expectations for this one! ^^

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Penguin20:** hahaha who doesn't? That awkward lil' flirt lol

 **Lily:** haha you're welcome Lily! I thought so, thought I would let him have a short cameo appearance :3 Maybe I should add him in a few funny one shots.

 **Emma:** Really? :/ I'm sorry about that, well I'm not sure if my advice will be any good since I suck at sleep too but I usually read fanfics (which aren't too hyped and adventurous so that I wanting more) rather something relaxing, listen to slow music or try to shut out all the bad things (like annoying people, your buzzing phone...etc) for a while. That usually helps me calm down ^^"

 **Natsu:** (hides face) Ah! Oh god, sorry! I just revealed far too much since the GMG and Eclipse are pretty far behind at this point. . Well, I pretty much liked the Nalu moment at the end, when Lucy hugged Natsu after the whole fight :3

 **Cassey:** hahaha oh man, seriously? (shakes head) Well, I think it's wrong. Bradley is more human and has more of a heart than Trump after everything that he allowed himself (sighs) I fear for America's future tbh. (shrugs)

 **Panic:** (bows over and over) Sorry! I knew I screwed it! I originally wrote something completely different, but it was crappy, so I changed it to this writing style ugh, I knew it was a mistake! (hides face) Should I rewrite it? Write another one? Thank you really! :) Call me crazy, but before Wrath died, I got the feeling he regretted not seeing her at least once before he died, however I also think he was at ease, knowing she was safe and alive. I imagine he would have willingly given his life to protect her, since she was the only thing he _freely_ chose in his predetermined life as a human based Homunculus. (slaps forehead) right, right, I remember it now too, the scene where Greed approached Ed and Al (I think it was after they talked to Winry on the phone? I'm not sure) and told them Ling's message.

Haha hey, don't worry about it, as long as nobody thinks I'm a selfish/demanding writer I will write all your prompts ;) It's just, since I have limited time on my hands now, I sometimes (randomly may I add) get those urges to write something quick before I lose focus/inspiration and tadaaaa...the random, new ideas are born! (sweat drop) Hm, (rubs chin) Guess I'll add them to the bunch too, Lingfan, Royai and Grena/Greela whatever (Greed X Lena) it will be! ^,^ BTW: I'm sorry that my responses are always so long! .

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** (sweat drop anime style) Eheh, sorry about that, I tried keeping it to a minimum, only hints, since I'm bad at writing Rated M stories and this isn't a Rated M story ^^" haha Actually, I randomly remembered it, started feeling extremely guilty, then thought on what to write to make it up to you (scratches head) Hope I managed somewhat eheh...though if you and the others agree, I could write more about Bradley and his family, IF I write them in character and not too OOC. This IS the first time I wrote them so yeah.. (grins) You got it! And since I'm in the mood for some Homunculus writing, I will write it right up!

 **If anyone wants to PM me about my stories, ideas, personal stuff, whatever, please send me a email HERE: dragonredfox 98 gmail. com (without the spaces of course)**

* * *

 **My First Friend**

"Selim! Please be careful!" Mrs. Bradley called out to her son, smiling softly when she spotted him waving at her reassuringly and playing with his new friend, Renier, a boy who had actually befriended her son and regularly visited them.

Mrs. Bradley smiled, she had been very happy when she noticed how Selim's days were filled with smiles and laughter ever since playing with Renier. She had been afraid he would be isolated, after the whole ordeal with finding out he was a Homunculus and the thing with Father. But if he had at least one friend that he could count on, that was all he needed.

"Are you positive he can be trusted?" General Mustang asked, politely sipping on the coffee Mrs. Bradley had offered him, keeping a watchful eye trained on the playing boys.

Mrs. Bradley's expression grew serene and Mustang was immediately hit by a wave of guilt, "I apologize, it was very rude of me to-" but she cut him off with a raise of her hand.

"It's alright General, please at ease," her tone was soft, peaceful and Roy had the decency to look embarrassed and remorseful, "Now that everything has calmed down, I've spent constantly worrying about...Selim, about how he would fit in society and with the other children, how people would look at him...but I realized ever since the death of my late husband, that no matter what happened, I can trust the boy,"

Mustang stiffened, his eyes widening in surprise at the madam's words.

She giggled softly at his expression, "I know it is quite a surprise but...I've realized...Selim had been...a Homunculus all this time, without me knowing it and yet, he has never done anything harmful to me or my late husband. I cannot help but think that despite being what he is, that Homunculi can feel human emotions just as much as we can. I think he thinks of me as his mother, as absurd as that idea may sound," she smiled gently, making Roy's posture relax.

He sighed heavily, "I'm sorry Mrs. Bradley, it was not in my intention to reopen old wounds," Mustang took a small sip of his coffee, hearing Selim and Renier laughing in the distance. He smiled, despite his concerns.

She waved his concerns away with a smile and a shake of her hand, "Please, don't feel guilty General. I understand your concerns all too well, after all, Renier is your son and to play with a Homunculus..well..." she took a deep breath, "I know you have your doubts, but I've spend years with my late husband and Selim and none of them ever harmed a hair on my head. Don't you think if they truly were as evil as those other Homunculi, that they would have killed me the moment they no longer needed me?"

The bluntness of her words stunned Roy, his lips drew in a thin line. It was still unaccustomed to see Mrs. Bradley like this, to hear her talking about things like the Homunculi and lastly her husband like that.

"So...you knew? About...Bradley?" Mustang cleared his throat and took another sip of his coffee.

Her eyes held a deep seated sadness within them, her lips forming a small smile, her thoughts elsewhere, "I had my suspicions...for a long time, ever since we first heard of the Homunculi to be honest. I've accepted long ago that he was a formidable man when angered, back then I had thought he was simply such a man, but then after I've heard of the other Homunculi and that they represent the seven deadly sins, my suspicions only grew stronger," she paused, gathering her thoughts.

Mustang threw a quick look back at the boys, he internally sighed in relief when he saw them still playing innocently, chasing each-other around and laughing. You couldn't blame him for being a doting father...

Mrs. Bradley began speaking anew, "I've remembered all the Homunculi that were known to public and I've noticed how, whenever they were mentioned, how he would shake in barely controlled anger, as if he were furious at them for failing or something. I've counted out the Homunculi that had been missing so far, it had been the sins Pride and Wrath. The Homunculus Greed was the one sharing a body with the current Emperor of Xing if I remember correctly, the one that had attacked us...when my dear husband had actually managed to defend himself against him and even gain the upper hand...I knew that he wasn't a normal man..." she pressed a hand to her cheek, "And I've been unsure at first...but I realized, I didn't need to be afraid. So many years have passed with him by my side and he never showed me anything but kindness and adoration." She sighed, looking at the playing boys.

Roy looked as well, relaxing considerably when he saw the happy expression on his son's face.

Then it happened.

A duty truck suddenly crashed right into the metal gates of the manor, shattering them and rushing straight toward the two playing boys.

Roy's eyes widened, " _REN!"_ Mrs. Bradley and him shot up from their seats, the staff and them frantically running toward the children, but they wouldn't make it in time, they couldn't, they were too far away.

Ren heard his father's concerned shout, he looked at his running father, then back at the truck. His mother's face, his friends, family friends resurfaced in his young mind and he felt fear envelope him like a vice. His eyes widened, his father's terrified voice ringing in his ears as he crossed his arms over his face and braced himself for the impact.

There was a loud crash, hissing noises and shocked.

Ren slowly opened his eyes, wondering why he felt no pain. When his eyes fully opened, he soon saw why.

Selim was standing in front of him, his small body protectively standing in front of Ren's own cowering form.

But...there was something...there was something there, coming out of Selim's shadow...it were long black things...

"S-S-Selim?" Ren whispered, shocked beyond belief, the weird shadow limbs were keeping the truck suspended in mid air before lowering it a good distance to the ground, various projectiles had been dropped by the shadow limbs, mostly shards of glass or parts of the metal gate clanking loudly on the cobblestone path.

Selim slowly turned his head, checking to make sure his friend was alright, before he smiled brightly, eyes open and...purple...wait...Selim never had purple eyes...

"Hey, are you alright Ren?" Selim turned around fully, his hair messy as he kneeled down scanned his friend for injuries, the weird shadowy limbs disappearing back into Selim's shadow beneath his feet.

Ren blinked, "W-wait...w-what were those shadows? W-why did...h-how did you?" he didn't understand anything, he had heard about species called Homunculi from his parents and their friends when they would sometimes discuss them. Uncle Greed used to be one too, but he was usually so kind and funny. But the way the adults talked about them like they were something bad and evil.

"A-are you...are you one of those Homunculi?" he needed to know, he never expected to find out his new friend of over a few months could be something many considered to be evil. He was so kind and funny and so fun to play with! Besides, his father would never allow to play with him had he known...right?

Selim's expression grew serene, lips formed into a thin line, "Yes...I am...my name is Pride..." he looked at Ren, his eyes holding sadness in them.

He tuned out his father, who was frantically calling his name, then his eyes sparkled back to life.

Stars shone in his eyes as he launched himself at Selim, or uh Pride, and hugged the boy tightly, laughing loudly, "Oh god Selim! That's so cool! I never knew you were a Homunculus! Why didn't you tell me?! That's so awesome! Can you teach me how you do that with your shadows?! Can I do that with mine too? Why didn't you tell me anything before?" he grasped the younger boy's shoulders, giddy with excitement, his earlier fear gone.

Pride's eyes widened, stunned to silence. He hadn't expect that reaction in the slightest, he saw how General Mustang and his mother looked worried and shocked at him. He felt a pang in his heart.

He remembered. Who he was.

 _What_ he was.

He remembered Wrath and Mrs. Bradley, them acting as a family...having a place to call home...having this woman actually care for him...

Purple eyes returned to Ren's excited ones and he couldn't help but smile a small smile, "You...you aren't afraid of me?"

Ren shook his head furiously, "Afraid?! 'Course not! Why would I be? I have the coolest friend ever! My friend's a Homunculus, how cool can that be?" he grinned widely, a typical cheery Mustang smirk.

After a few moments of stunned silence, Pride laughed and hugged Ren close to him, he whispered lowly, "Thanks...thank you Renier..." he couldn't believe how this young boy could bring so much relief to him by calling him 'friend'.

"Ren!" Roy shouted, falling to his knees and drawing Ren towards his chest, his heart beating wildly in his chest, still in shock at what happened just now.

Selim...he had activated his powers. He had become Pride.

Roy looked at the child over his son's shoulder and his eyes widened in realization.

Pride had protected his son. He had _protected_ him.

Roy only hugged his son tighter, stroking his short dirty blonde hair affectionately. Mrs. Bradley drew Selim into a tight hug as well, worry lacing her tone, "Oh my goodness Selim! I'm so relieved you're alright!"

Pride froze for a split second, before he relaxed against his mother figure and hugged her back, his cheek resting against her shoulder.

"I'm alright mom...I'm alright," warmth enveloped him by calling her that, his mother.

She drew back, inspecting his face for any cuts or bruises, before she kissed both his cheeks and combed his hair with her hand, her smile warm and open, "I knew it...I knew you were a good boy, my son..." Pride's eyes widened.

"But I...I'm-" he was cut off by his mother.

"It doesn't matter Selim...it doesn't. You're still my good boy, you just saved your friend. No matter who or what you are, you will always be my son Selim," tears glistened in her eyes.

Pride suddenly felt moisture gather in his own and he shakily lifted a hand to touch his moist cheeks, finding he was actually crying. He never thought Homunculi could be capable of shedding tears...

"Mom..." Mrs. Bradley smiled, hugging her son close to her, ignoring the guards as they ran around frantically and called an ambulance.

"I love you..." she whispered into her son's ear lovingly, stroking his back.

Pride smiled, tears streaming down his face, "I love you too mom..."

He had a friend who wasn't afraid of him, he still had his dear mother figure who still loved him despite knowing who he was...

 _"_ _Wrath...such a shame you can't be here, I know how much you cared for her, even for me. I hope you can finally rest..."_ were Pride's thoughts at the thought of his deceased youngest sibling and his father figure.

* * *

Renier Mustang smiled, drinking his coffee as he looked at his oldest friend, "So, Selim, have any plans today?"

The young man looked at his old friend, making his own coffee, "Not that I know of. Why?" he tilted his head.

Ren smiled, "I was thinking of getting back at my old man for setting me up on that horrible blind date. And I know just the way how..." he grinned, the grin all too familiar to a certain Mustang in the family.

Selim shook his head, sighing in amusement, "I swear, you are still such a kid in your heart," nonetheless he grinned back, purple eyes and sharp teeth showing.

"Same as last time?" Ren grinned, picking up his jacket and donning it over broad shoulders.

Shadows emerged from beneath Selim's feet, carrying his own jacket over to him and setting it on his shoulders, a wicked gleam in his eyes, "Mhm. Same as last time,"

Ren smirked, "Let's go partner," he high fived with his best friend, laughing all the way out of the office.

Even after all these years, they, along with the rest of their "squad", stuck together and became the closest of friends.

"I wonder if Emilia has time today..." Selim wondered aloud, a goofy smile on his face.

Ren stuck his tongue out at him, nudging him with his elbow, "Come on man, admit you have feelings for her! Though it's a bit weird...isn't it? C'mon, uncle Greed is your younger brother and all," he made a show of cringing in disgust.

Pride rolled his eyes, roughly shoving his friend back, "Not by blood he isn't. Besides, that old greedy bastard would try to get my head on a spike if I tried anything with his daughters," he waved his hand casually, "We are just friends,"

The two young men laughed, heading straight for the Mustang mansion.

 **The end for this one shot!** I sincerely hope daughterofapollo12345 likes it! Suggestions for improvement are always welcome! :)


	69. What's A Soulmate?

Hi guys! Ugh, finally the day is over, I was highly anticipating it to be honest . Two hours exam, wrote about 800 words...the limit was about 600 words...well...let's just say I panicked for a moment and quickly deleted a few paragraphs and had to rewrite most of my work so it made sense again (well, as much sense as I can have anyway :P). Phew..yeah...how was your day? I hope everyone's doing fine! Like I said, if you guys have anything to say that you are sensitive to share here via reviews, it's seriously no problem if you send me an e-mail on the address I posted here! :)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Penguin20:** Hey there, ah thanks for asking! :) Well, fine for now, I got a "Very good" on my ecology exam now I'm waiting for results for two other exams and I can breathe calmly, at least for a week, until the next wave of exams hits me . Working currently on a school project, where we have to try and lead our own junior company, I can only say it's very exciting and exhilirating to partake in it! How's life treating you on your end?

 **daughterofapollo12345:** haha Don't worry, not at all, it's definitely on my list! ;) Suggestions for Pride's crush though are welcome! :3 I'm really glad you liked it, I don't really have much experience in writing the other Homunculi (I'm still an amateur concerning Greed but I think I'm getting better at writing him) at least I hope so (sweat drop). Well, I'm an amateur writer so I guess that fits haha

 **Panic:** (laughs and hugs you back) Aw, thank you so much! I was really nervous because I thought I screwed up! . (nods furiously) Mhm, definitely, he said it multiple times after all, that she was the only thing he freely chose, not dictated by Father's whim or his affiliation to his Homunculi brethren. Reminds me a bit of when Ling had been lecturing Greed, after Greed killed Bido, that those memories he started regaining of his old team in Dublith, that those memories were the only part of his old self he _chose_ willingly, because they were so close to his heart. (blushes) Ah thank you! I was worried if I wrote them as too stoic or cold or something similar since I had no prior experience in writing them. Ahhh, good, good, noted! Thanks for clarifying that, sometimes my mind is a jumbled mess (hides face) haha Nah, don't worry about it, I tend to rabble and talk too much when I get comfortable and my guard isn't up (sweat drop) Thanks it's fun chatting to you and the others too! :3

 **Fun Questioning Session:** haha Just so you know, on my e-mail OR through reviews, I accept: **personal questions, random questions, questions on my stories, ideas, future story ideas, writing...etc, odd questions,** well any kind :D

 **Enjooooyy reading my lovelies!**

* * *

 **What's a soulmate?**

"What's a soulmate?" his daughter questioned, tilting her head to the side in confusion, a trait she picked up from her mother.

Greed smiled, petting her head softly, "It's a...well, it's like a best friend but more,"

 _Greed and Lena smiled at each-other, bursting out in laughter at the hilarious scene of Ed lamely thinking of excuses on why he didn't buy milk and Winry chasing him with her wrench, her daughter imitating her pose and chasing her parents with her teddy bear, holding it like it was wrench. When their eyes met, Greed felt a pang in his heart and he looked away, feeling uncomfortable. Lena though continued smiling, realizing what the feeling inside her was._

Ed chuckled, "It's the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else,"

 _Winry and Ed continued bickering and Ed had tried to brush off her comments and pretend like he didn't care, only his best friend and childhood sweetheart knew him too well, "Don't hide from me Ed, I know you better than that," when she touched his shoulder, he stiffened, but turned around, looking at her with a mixture of surprise and relief. His lips spread into a smile, shaking his head at his own naivety._

"It's someone who makes you a better person," Ling explained, glancing meaningfully at Lan Fan.

 _"_ _My Lord!" the bellatrix cried out in worry for her prince and Ling remembered something and smiled._

 _Ling grinned in embarrassment, scratching the back of his neck, "I'm sorry Lan Fan, guess I have to be more careful next time huh?"_

 _Lan Fan blinked in confusion and Ling only smiled at her gently, feeling his heart flutter and lift when she mirrored his smile. Ling only managed to lead his country like a good emperor he aspired to be because of that woman, the woman that stuck to his side through good and bad, who convinced him that immortality wasn't the best choice and on how to view things differently._

Greed shook his head, "Actually, they don't make you a better person, you do it yourself, because they inspire you," he grinned at Lena, who smiled, a rosy tint on her cheeks.

 _Greed breathed heavily, looking behind himself to see if she was hurt, "Are you alright?" his shield was up and he removed it from his face, making it easier to breathe now. Lena stared at him in horror and shock, before she tried to stand up to see if he was injured, her injured leg reminding her of her immobility at the moment._

 _"_ _Don't, I'm alright, but you don't have my fancy shield," Greed retorted, turning around and kneeling down on the ground, smiling softly when Lena scoffed. He pinched her cheek softly, which prompted her to look at him with a surprised squeak._

 _"_ _Don't ever do that again, alright? I can't...we can't risk losing ya, stubborn woman," Greed bit back a grin but it still showed on his face. Lena blinked for a moment, before her expression softened into a smile and she nodded mutely. Greed never thought he would become such a softie and a addict for her smiles._

Alphonse rubbed his chin, smiling, "A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever," he smiled lovingly down at Mei, pulling her close to him.

 _"_ _Hey Al, whatcha looking at?" Ed tried to see what his brother was holding in his hand and he spotted a regal looking hairpin, flower replicas with gemstones as their base decorating its top._

 _Alphonse carefully pocketed it into his jacket pocket, "Nothing brother," he shook his head, the smile he bestowed his brother with reaching his eyes, but Ed noticed he was long gone. His mind elsewhere._

 _On a certain young woman with pigtails and a panda as her companion..._

"It's the one person who...who knew you and accepted you and believed in you before anyone else did or when no one else would," Greed said fondly, lost in memories.

 _The smile on her face, even when she learned of his true nature, made his stone heart crumble. Everyone thought him a monster, a killer, a ruthless killing machine which knew no emotions. But she...this woman...she didn't. She said something that left everyone else around her speechless, with her hand firmly on his shoulder, squeezing, reassuring, comforting, "I believe him," and when Greed had looked down at her, in shock himself, she only offered him a kind smile, no traces of disdain or hostility present, unlike the people around them. Over the loud protests and cries of hate directed at Greed, he only had his attention on her, the woman that barely knew him, fought him tooth and nail when he was on the wrong side and offered him something no one else did before; hope. A hope that he could maybe become good, become the man she deserved to have by her side. So that's what he aspired to be. A good man._

Sig grinned, slinging an arm around his awesome wife, "And no matter what happens, you will always love them. Nothing can ever change that," he grinned down at Izumi, squeezing her shoulder. She looked up at him, a warm smile on her face, her smaller hand in his squeezing him back and leaning her head back against his broad frame.

 _He held her as closely and tightly as he possibly could without suffocating her. She only cried harder into his chest, violent shivers overtaking her entire body as she tried to stay strong and fight her uncontrolled sobs and cries._

 _They had lost their child. Izumi had lost her child. Sig was there all the way, he had managed to stop her from performing human transmutation. But that had been her first try, the second one, he didn't stop. Couldn't. At least that's what she kept telling him whenever he felt extreme guilt gnawing at his insides and eating away at his very soul. Izumi kept reminding him it had been solely her decision, she had purposely withheld her plans to him since he would immediately stop her and try to convince her otherwise, they could still adopt, or try for another child. But now, it was too late. Izumi couldn't bear any children anymore, however, after Sig had fought his own depression with his wife at his side, he helped her along the way. Soothing her worries, telling her adoption was still open, that the child would be theirs no matter what anyone told them. One night, she rolled over in their bed and quietly, barely above a whisper, thinking he was asleep, asked him if he still loved such a broken woman like her._

 _Sig had answered with the tenderest hugs he could give her, loving kisses covering every inch of her face and gentle words of love and adoration whispered in her ear, telling her just how much he loved and adored her, her strength, her compassion, how she practically raised Edward and Alphonse after their mother passed away, how she managed to shoulder everything life threw at them and be so much stronger than he himself was. So much better than he would ever be._

 _She had cried that night in his arms, telling him how she didn't deserve him, that she wasn't good enough, but he took away her worries, telling her she was the best thing that could have happened to him and that they would overcame this together._

Greed smiled warmly, rubbing Emilia's head affectionately, "Anymore questions sweetie?" he rose an eyebrow at his curious daughter, who always loved to learn something new, a trait she had picked up from her equally curious mother.

The little girl rested a finger on her chin, thinking hard, before she smiled and leaned back into her father's protective, warm hold, "Hmmm...is mommy your soulmate daddy?" curiously, she peeked up at her father's violet eyes, identical shades to her own.

Greed grinned and chuckled, ruffling his daughter's hair playfully as he turned his head to lock eyes with his wife, who was smiling gently their way, leaning against the doorframe, "After listening to my rambling until now, don't you think it's obvious? Of course she is sweetie, she always was," a part of Greed cringed at his cheesy as hell words but another, more larger part agreed wholeheartedly, elated at seeing the joyful look on his wife's face.

He gestured with his free hand to beckon her to him and their daughters on the couch, Lena happily walked towards them and settled herself into Greed's lap with a laugh, causing her husband to grunt at the added weight on top of him.

"Do you plan on killing me today?" Greed wheezed out, regaining the breath that had been knocked out of him by the combined weight of his resident three troublemakers.

Lena smirked mischievously before pecking his chin and winking, "Maybe tomorrow,"

Greed just grinned and laughed, pulling his family, his avarice's truest desire, close to him.

 **The end for this one! I hope everybody enjoyed it! :) Thank you all for supporting and reading my stories!**


	70. He Loved Her so much

Hi everyone! Hope you guys are doing alright! I also hope you enjoy this one shot! :)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Anonymous J:** Heyoo, eiiieeeiiieooo, daylight come and we wanna go hoommee. Haha Hey there, ah that place, been there (Still am lol) done that, ugh, lousy place I tell ya ;) Ah you mean those "killer clowns"? You know what, I saw a few of them here in Austria too, freaky shit (excuse my wording) I tell you XD. The world is falling apart or going crazy I would say (hides face) Haha of course, though I'm sorry I didn't update anything, school and duties have been keeping me quite busy, but since we have a whole week off I'll have a bit more time. ^^

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** Oh, uh, well you really don't have to say it's ok if you don't think so seriously! (waves hands frantically) Eheh, no really, I know people don't like the same stuff and that not many like what/how I write so it's seriously alright with me if you don't really like some of chapters honestly! :) (giggles and smiles)

 **Panic:** Ah, thanks buddy! Haha Thank you! I actually thought about doing a chapter about those two for a long time, I may consider it once I have more time on my hands, maybe even this upcoming week! :3 You're welcome! I thought of them and just had to include them. Well, to be honest, I thought of writing about them extra, since I thought it would have been a bit too crowded if I added them in there and yeah...

* * *

 **He Loved Her so much**

 _The sun is male, representing masculinity._

 _The moon is female, representing femininity._

 _Combining those two together...they create a perfect being...or god._

He gently caressed her head, stroking through her hair, admiring how soft yet slightly untamed it looked, just like her. A kind gentle soul with that wild aura about her, the freedom she so much desired, just like he himself did and cherished so much.

There was nothing in this world that could bring her down, that could keep her chained down. Her personality was similar, she didn't let herself be commanded by him or bossed around, rather she would point her finger at him and it would be him who would find himself bidding to her every wish. Sometimes, he was afraid, afraid of just how much he loved her. He never had those feelings before, at least not until he met her and later actually identified those feelings for what they were.

He would kill for her, he would sacrifice his life for her without any hesitation or second thoughts, that's how much he loved and cherished her. He didn't treat her like fragile glass, because she wasn't like that. But he treated her with respect, treated with all the love and affection he refused others to see in him. Only she knew that side of him and he would gladly like to keep it that way.

Sometimes, he doubted she knew how much he loved her, she sometimes expressed her insecurities, saying that there are plenty of other women who are better than her, but he always told her he never wanted them, if he did he would have been long gone. She would always smile and laugh, but he would see the fear behind her eyes. In those moments, in her weak moments, when her seemingly invincible aura would crumble before him, he would reassure her as many times as was necessary, that she was like the moon and he was like the sun.

When she would look at him in confusion to what he meant, he remembered an old saying he heard or read a long time ago.

 _The sun loved the moon so much, he died every night just to let her breathe._

He told her that was what he would do, if he would be able, he would die every night as well to let her breathe and live. It would be worth it to see the smile on her face the next morning.

It was a burden he was willing to take.

And she would smile and laugh and the fear behind her eyes would be gone.

She would be happy.

That was all he ever wanted.

After everything they have been through, they both deserved it, at least that much. To be happy.

And after many years, when he would look at his family, his own family, there was nothing else in the world that he would trade it in for. Nothing. He would go through all the hardships he did before over and over again, if this was what he would come to see in the end.

Him having his own family.

He smiled every time at the thought.

 _The sun is male, representing masculinity._

 _The moon is female, representing femininity._

 _Combining those two together...they create a perfect being...or god._

 _Or a thing called "love"._

 **The end for this short little one shot! Thanks for reading! BTW: The NEXT** one shot will be called "Phantom Pain"! It's a scary-ish one shot!


	71. Phantom Pain

**Back again folks!** With a new, slightly scary one shot! **Anonymous J** requested something scary for the upcoming Halloween holiday, so here it is! There are more to come! ;)

 **Enjoy reading!**

* * *

 **Phantom Pain**

Frantic hands clawed at his face, gripped at his own hair, scratched at his chest. His whole body thrashed from side to side, shivered, rocked with spasms and shocks all over.

He swore there was a scar, right over his rapidly beating heart, but when his fingers caressed at the spot, he only touched smooth, taut skin.

No dents, no scratchy surface, no broken tissue, no blood. Nothing.

When his haunted eyes finally lowered to look at it, at the source of all his pain, he could have sworn he...

He saw it.

Those round, innocent eyes looking up at him. Then the beady, white eyes of the creature that sorry excuse of a father turned her into for the sake of his State Alchemist license. He shut his eyes tightly closed but the images kept resurfacing, over and over again.

He grasped at his chest again, at the pain, but then he realized it.

The pain wasn't coming from an injury, it was coming from his heart. Golden eyes widened in terror.

He released a guttural scream, blunt nails tearing at himself, willing himself to think of something else, anything else.

It wasn't just the little girl he couldn't save, it wasn't just Nina, it was his brother, whom he selfishly robbed of his body and the ability to feel the warmth of another just to see his mother's warm smile again. it were his friends, all whom helped him achieve his biggest priority; to get their bodies back.

He panted heavily, a thin sheen of sweat covering his whole body, his body wracked with violent tremors. An image of Greed appeared before him, when he sacrificed himself, how horrified he was along with Ling, Lan Fan and...and Lena...how devastated she was when she thought he had died.

A warm, soft hand settled itself gently on his heaving chest, and he felt his whole body fill with warmth.

The violent tremors slowly stopped, the pain stopped.

Fear unlatched itself from his heart like an icy veil slowly melting from the sun's warm rays, his mind slowly cleared.

Gold eyes blinked slowly and he took slow, deliberate breaths in order to calm himself down.

When he looked to his right, he saw her there.

His peace, his salvation, his sanity...

It was his wife, Winry.

She smiled, fully aware of what he had been going through now. Affectionately, her hand slid over to his other pectoral and soothingly caressed the area where his heart was, beating more normally now thanks to her presence.

He heaved a relieved sigh, grasping her smaller hand in his larger one, marveling at the small calluses from hard work and tinkering with her automail in the shop all day.

He lifted it up to his face and lovingly kissed her knuckles, breathing in her comforting and familiar scent of metal and her own scent.

She smiled, lifting herself to cuddle closer to him, kissing his cheek and laying her head on his shoulder.

He had her support and comfort, he knew that, but...

The images wouldn't disappear, never.

They never would.

And he would need to live with the burden for the rest of his life.

He still heard the terrified screams. He still felt the pain. The pain of his past.

That phantom pain that would haunt him every time he closed his eyes.

 **This was just the start of a few upcoming (longer) more scarier/angsty one shots!** The next one shot will be called "A Soldier's Burden". SUGGESTIONS are always welcome!


	72. A Soldier's Burden

Hihi hope you're hyped for the next chapter! **Oh and HAPPY HALLOWEEN! MWUAHAHAHAHAA! XD**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** haha Weeell, that's entirely up to you actually. I mixed a bit of Greed X Lena in, a bit of EdWin, some AlMei, Royai and a bit of LingFan.

 **Cassey:** haha Well, I'm not really sure. At first I thought of being a combo of a cat and a vampire, but gave it up :P I think I'll just have that scary make up (the only make up I will ever wear lol) and some random costume ^^ But definitely no clown lol ^^

 **Bob:** *.* Ah! Good idea Bob! Really good idea! I will definitely write it after all the Halloween prompts! :)

 **Penguin20:** haha Happy Halloween to you too! ;)

 **CrazyCat:** haha yeah I do, I thought you were still recovering ( I remember when I had busted ribs..god…that took a great while to heal (sweat drop)

 **Panic:** Ah, thank you! (smiles and blushes) :3 Aww thanks again! I sometimes get random messages about people asking me in what unit I am (as in military unit XD) or if I experienced the trauma…etc. before for writing it so well. I was an embarrassed mess while replying to those you can imagine ^^ Ahh, "Monster", a good song if I do say so myself, I got it on my phone a long time ago, among other songs of Skillet and others :3 haha will do! *.* Ofc! Elicia! Why didn't I think of that? (shakes head) Hmmm….yeah…could work. Hahaha nah, don't worry ;) I usually think that about myself before I update my (long) list of one shot ideas eheh…

* * *

 **A Soldier's Burden**

A gunshot.

Dead.

Another gunshot.

Dead.

And another one.

Dead.

 _"_ _Look straight at the people you kill. Don't take your eyes off them for a second. And don't ever forget them, because they won't forget you,"_

She shut her eyes tightly closed and threw her gun away, the weapon slamming loudly against the wall. Her hands were shaking, poised over her eyes, trying to shield herself from the world.

" _War does not determine who is right, only who is left,"_

The tears rapidly slid down her cheeks, images of her comrades in war resurfacing in her memory; Kimblee, Roy, Maes...

All of them.

They have all committed horrible atrocities they deserved to be hanged for, but she was the worst.

She did see her victims, but they did not see her. And that was the worst part.

They never knew when she would strike, when a bullet would be shot through their head or vital part of their body and kill them. She made sure their death would be as fast as possible, but that did not excuse anything at all.

She screamed, loud and broke, something she never allowed herself to do.

Maes made sure that she and Roy wouldn't succumb to their inner demons, when everyone would be asleep and when they would be for themselves, thinking of war, of the many lives that were lost.

But Riza saw the struggle, Maes was also struggling, trying not to listen to those voices in his head, telling him how horrible this whole thing was, that she should return to his mother and the woman he loved. That he should be able to go home and stand tall and proud, not a soldier with a broken heart and scarred mind.

Anything was better than this.

Sometimes, it was a clean slice to the throat, blood trickling rapidly down their wound, sickening gurgling sounds erupting from the victim's throat as he tried enclosing his fingers around the bleeding wound, fighting for his life, for those last precious seconds.

Sometimes, it were multiple bullet shots, a fierce burn would spread throughout their whole body, like they were suffering from a fever, then came the blinding pain, the frightening panic rising and spreading through them at the terrifying realization that they would die. That they wouldn't be able to live the life they wanted, that they would never see their loved ones again.

Sometimes, it were simple snaps of fingers, a rush of burning white hot heat, the smell of flesh being burned, the blood curling scream that made Riza's toes curl and made her blood freeze in her veins, her mind stopping short, the picture of the person being burned alive forever etched into her memory.

She didn't want any of this.

No, never. Never like this.

 _Dogs of the military._

 _It was an Ishvalan child..._

Riza's eyes shut tightly closed again, her body trembling in fear, she felt sick to her stomach.

 _You didn't want to look at it. You wanted to escape from your unpleasant memories. You wanted to hide the traces of what you committed._

 _You ran away._

" _No!_ " the words of her father rang in her ears, loud and clear, and she never felt as guilty and sinful as she did then.

Nothing could have silenced the demons roaring inside her head at this moment.

Not the comforting touch of the Flame Alchemist she loved.

Not the soothing words of her friends.

Not the affectionate lick to her hand of her faithful canine companion.

Nothing.

 _Monsters are real, and ghosts are too. They live inside us. And sometimes, they win._

Riza released a earth shattering scream from the depths of her stomach, crying her soul out to those that heard or wanted to hear.

 **I hope you enjoyed it!** Next one will be funnier yet a little scary maybe! ;) Titled "Ice Cream: A Palmtree's Best Friend" (I think you know whom I'm going to write about) ^^


	73. Ice Cream: A Palmtree's Best Friend

Alright, now for something a bit more lighthearted and funny ne? I know it's Halloween but it wouldn't be Halloween without some fun right?

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Bob:** Cool! Ah, I didn't play for so long on my PS3 . So sad… tell me what you played! (Come to think of it I didn't play Devil May Cry in a long while…)

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** Ah thank you! :) Hmm…well, I can't really say that I like the Envy that's portrayed in Brotherhood, much less the one in FMA. BUT I think the creators could have done more character development on him, show his more…humane side. Because I think, like Wrath but not so much, Envy was misunderstood and that's why he also turned to the evil side and was consumed by darkness. It's the same thing in real life, people that have less than others and see the luxury some live in, they turn vile and mean, because they are unsatisfied with what they have, or rather lack and they only focus on the things they don't have, that puts them into deeper depression, just like it did with Envy after all these years. I think deep down, Envy isn't truly evil, just misunderstood. Sorry for the long review, but if we think about the people he killed. Maes Hughes, he had a loving family, Envy never had one, or rather his Father was a abusive bastard and his siblings…yeah…the Ishvalan child he killed had parents, and even if it lived in poverty it lived happily, which Envy didn't. Envy was jealous of humans because they had all these emotions and Envy could "only" feel jealousy.

 **Panic:** Oh thanks so much! ^^ haha Like I said, it's sometimes weird when people ask me if I were a soldier (since in many others of my stories I write about Final Fantasy 7, and SOLDIER is a paramilitary institution there) because I apparently write them in a realistic way , I feel flattered either way haha. No problem, really, I get excited too (as you can see on my long list of ideas and I didn't even update it yet XD). Thanks for the compliments though you can honestly say your opinion, I know that my stories don't always end up "fantastic" or all that great (sweat drop) I'm one of those mediocre fanfic writers who try to write something decent haha :3

 **INFO ON CHAPTER:** The movie I used here, "Walking Tall" is starred in lead role by "The Rock", I just changed his name to "Strong Arm Alchemist" because I thought it hilarious to see Alex Armstrong in a movie like that, but the movie won't be as serious, because hello it's _Alex_ we are talking about here. And the "Scream" mask mentioned here is the very same white mask from the horror movie "Scream". ;) Hope ya all enjoy!

 **Enjoy everyone! (bows)**

* * *

 **Ice Cream: A Palmtree's Best Friend**

Another scream.

Another violent shiver.

Another terrifying scream and glass breaking in the background.

Another violent shiver and a quiet whimper.

" _AHHH! NO! NO! PLEASE! NOT ME! YOU MONSTER!"_ the woman in the flat screen TV shouted frantically, eyes wide in fear as she clumsily collapsed to the ground, the killer dressed in dark robes, the scary white " _Scream"_ mask laughing haughtily at her and the sharp knife poised high in the air, ready to strike.

The knife went down and-

"PALMTREE'S ARE UUGGLLLYY!" a deep male voice shouted out, startling Envy out of his wits.

"ARGHHHH!" Envy bolted away from the couch when a heavy weight slammed itself into it, wearing a familiar white " _Scream"_ mask.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" a deep voice roared with laughter, Envy's heart was still beating frantically in his chest, he wrapped the soft fluffy blanket closer around himself, holding the remote up like a weapon, hands and knees shaking.

His eyes narrowed in the dark to better see just who the hell tried to give him a potentially lethal heart attack.

" _GREED?!"_ Envy's eyes widened in shock and rage, he hauled the remote at the laughing Homunculi's head, causing it bounce off his head harmlessly with a loud metallic sound. Envy growled, damn that stupid shield of his.

"YOU FUCKING PRICK! YOU ALMOST KILLED ME WITH YOUR STUPID STUNT!" Envy roared in rage, crossing his muscular arms, the blanket falling away to reveal him in a black short sleeved muscle shirt and simple black shorts, his hair done in careful curls, curled around the pink fluffy things he found in Lena's bathroom to curl his hair into.

Greed, upon taking off the mask and noticing his brother's ridiculous appearance, started laughing wildly on the couch, sliding off it and holding his stomach on the floor, dressed in a simple shirt and jogging pants as his PJ's.

"Ya got it all on video babe?" Greed asked in between laughs and Envy whipped his head around to spot Lena, desperately trying to muffle her laughter, one hand holding a camera in place, directed at him and Greed.

"Yup! Oh this will look fantastic on Netflix!" she roared with laughter, Greed joining his girlfriend, wheezing out laugh after laugh as she jumped on the couch next to him.

Envy blinked, then he crossed his arms in anger, gritting his teeth, "Just what the _hell_ is the meaning of this?!" he tapped his foot impatiently on the ground, right eye twitching in extreme annoyance.

Lena smiled soothingly at Envy, trying to convey it was all in good fun, he relaxed a bit, some of his anger gone at her sweet smile, but he still kept up appearances, Lena giggled and said;" Well, my dear bored boyfriend here thought it would be funny if we sneaked into _our_ house and scared you," she grinned impishly.

Greed shot her a incredulous look, " _What_?! _Me_?! That was _your_ idea you-mpfh!" Lena slammed her hand over his face, glaring intensely at him with a secretive smirk on her lips.

"Greed...you don't know what you're doing when you're hungry," Lena looked and smiled evilly when she spotted just what she needed, "Here, have a snickers," she shoved the piece of candy into her boyfriend's mouth.

Greed almost choked, glaring scathingly at his girlfriend, she just smiled as if this whole thing just didn't happen.

Envy just stared blankly at the two people that were obviously hit in the head on the couch, the scary movie having changed to a romantic drama or a comedy.

Unimpressed at the crying woman on TV, Lena ripped the remote from Envy's hands and started zipping through the channels, until she stopped at a movie that she obviously liked.

"Oh my god! Guys, sit down! You have to see this!" stars practically danced in her eyes, gripping Greed's muscled forearm tightly.

Greed rolled his eyes, "Here we go again,"

Confused, Envy slowly walked back to the couch, settling himself next to Lena and narrowing his eyes to see just what movie captured the woman's attention so-

Oh god no.

" _Walking Tall_?!" he squeaked out a surprise, eyes going wide.

Lena nodded enthusiastically, "Mhm! Mhm! With **_The_** _Strong Arm Alchemist!"_ she squealed, stealing Envy's popcorn bowl and eating like a champ on the couch, snuggled between her boyfriend and one of her best male friends.

Lena hugged Envy close to her, ecstatic beyond belief as she saw Alex Armstrong storm inside the casino, wooden planks in hand, ready to beat up a couple of thugs. Envy flushed red, his face pressed against her breasts, he tried looking at anywhere but at her.

Greed of course, noticed this. He growled, wrapping his arms around Lena's waist and positioning her closer to him, away from Envy, who fell face first on the couch.

Envy growled in displeasure, lifting his head to give Greed the evil eye, who returned his look tenfold.

Lena was too focused on the movie to notice the boys' possessive problems, she propped her feet on the end of the table, munching happily on her popcorn.

When Greed tried taking some popcorn, she suddenly whipped her head around in his direction and actually _hissed_ at him, hugging the bowl protectively closer to her, like a mother protecting her cubs.

Greed rolled his eyes, "Glutton," he teased, Lena stuck her tongue out at him.

"Greedy bastard," Greed rose an eyebrow at the _very original_ insult thrown at him but Lena just ignored him, holding out the bowl to Envy so he could eat.

Envy smirked wickedly, grabbing a healthy handful of popcorn and stuffing his mouth full, flashing sharp teeth at Greed, who looked ready to murder him.

"Oh yeah! Sic em' good Alex!" Lena laughed, shouting at the TV, Alex, in the movie, flashed his trademark thumbs up and sparkles at the screen, as if he actually heard her.

Greed laughed, popping some popcorn into his mouth, Lena glared at him playfully and nuzzled her nose with his, making him grin widely. Lena giggled and shoved her hand in his face, blushing at the adoring look he shot her.

Envy grumbled in displeasure, mumbling something about being the third wheel.

Lena smiled, playfully flicking one of the curls in his hair, teasing him, "And since when did you take on curls?" she grinned.

Envy flushed, "Since I let my hair grow longer, problem?" he shot back.

Lena laughed, "Nah, it suits you, Palmtree," she giggled and Envy laughed, for the first time not minding her to call him that.

Greed just rolled his eyes and chuckled, stealing more popcorn from his girlfriend.

* * *

Envy blew his nose on a tissue loudly, wiping away at the tears he had in his eyes, "I can't believe this! Why Derek!? Why?! Why don't you love her?! Why do you have to be a stupid bad boy!?" Envy threw the second tissue box at the TV.

He shoved another spoon full of ice cream into his mouth, sobbing harder when he realized he would be getting fat after this. Envy glanced down at his rock hard muscles, pocking the hard ridges of muscle before crying louder at the realization that he would lose them if he continued eating like Gluttony.

"Ohhh why?! Why are girls such beasts?!" Envy cried harder, flinging another tissue box at the TV.

"Let me guess, heartbreak?" surprisingly it was Wrath that uttered those words, strolling into the room dressed in in his blue, long sleeved PJ's and grabbing a spoon, scooping some of the ice cream from Envy's ice cream bucket for himself.

Envy sniffed, rubbing at his nose, "Heartbreak too?" he glanced up at his youngest brother.

The tall man shrugged, "No, Selim is being a brat,"

"Now who are you calling a brat _father_?" Pride echoed, one eyebrow raised, his shadows opened a drawer and took out a spoon, another shadowy limb took another bucket of ice cream from the fridge. The child-like Homunculus settled himself on the couch next to his brothers, "Ugh, is this what the humans call a 'chic flic'?" he grimaced.

Envy barked, "No! It's a touching story of a bad boy and a good girl who can't be together because of stupid society!" Envy bawled again and Wrath patted his shoulder sympathetically.

Pride sighed, succumbing to his fate and watching the movie with his brothers.

Bit by bit, the rest followed, Lust dressed in a wide nightgown with a black and red checkered pattern, sitting in between Gluttony and Envy and wiping at her eyes at how handsome that bad boy looked. Greed kept mumbling how superior his looks were to the bad boy in the movie and Gluttony kept trying to eat the whole bowl of candy with Lust disapprovingly waving her finger at him and flicking his nose when he would salivate too much.

Sloth scratched his head, white beady eyes looking at the screen, pointing at it with one large finger, "Big brother Wrath," Sloth poked Wrath's arm, the older man looked down at the sitting Homunculus, even though Wrath was actually the youngest many of his brothers turned to him for advice, "Will the guy and the girl be together?"

Wrath sighed, closing his wise eyes, "Well..." Greed tried hard to muffle his laughter, grinning wickedly at Wrath's predicament.

Wrath smiled brightly and patted Sloth's head, "Of course they will be Sloth, after all, nothing can tear apart relationships or stop love from blossoming," he felt slightly out of place for uttering such words.

Greed roared with laughter, high fiving with Lust, who giggled herself, "Oh old man Wrath, marriage suits you huh? Did it make you into a softie-" the tip of a sharp fork embedded itself right beside Greed's ear in the couch, causing the Homunculus to freeze momentarily.

"Oh look Sloth! The guy got the girl!" Greed quickly pointed at the TV screen, ripping the fork out of the couch and keeping it well out of sight and reach from Wrath, discreetly giving it Gluttony to eat.

Envy sighed, licking at his ice-cream, staring at the screen, watching how the couple kissed.

Grumpily, he pulled a grimace, " _Ugh, why can't I have any luck with the ladies? Though I could think of one..._ " An image of Lena appeared in his mind and almost immediately, Envy froze.

Robotically, his eyes swept over to Greed, who was glaring at him suspiciously.

Envy barked viciously, " _What_?!" Greed still glared at him.

"Just watch where your thoughts go..." still suspicious, Greed glared at him from the corner of his eye.

Envy rolled his eyes, turning his head when he felt his cheeks heating up.

He sighed, shoving another spoon of ice cream into his mouth, weeping for himself at the thought of not having a girlfriend.

 _Somewhere far, far away..._

"ENVYYY WE LOVE YOUUU!" another woman shouted, laughing maniacally, raising the picture of Envy high in the air, a kiss mark on the side of his cheek.

 _"_ _WE LOVE OUR FAVORITE PALMTREE!"_ was written on a big poster being held up by two fangirls.

 _"_ _ENVY'S FANCLUB"_ was blinking in neon pink lights, some among them men, while the most were women.

" _One of the biggest questions this fan club is trying to figure out about our favorite Homunculus is...is he female or male? Should the women think twice about their sexuality? Or should the men reconsider chasing skirts?"_ one of the reporters for the _Envy Fanclub_ said, screaming with the large mob.

"ENVY! ENVY! ENVY!"

 _Back with the Homunculi_

A violent shiver coursed through Envy and he scratched at the back of his head, "Odd..." he muttered, before shrugging and eating his precious ice cream.

 _"_ _OH GOD DEREK WHYY?! WHY DID YOU LEAVE HER?!"_ Pride bawled this time, throwing the tissue box at Lust's head.

Envy 'tsked', "And _he_ was the one that talked about "chic flics"",

"Why you! I'm just as upset as you but that doesn't mean you have to throw the box at me! Give me that damn tissue box!" Lust ripped the box from Pride's hands, wiping at her tears, upset that Derek left the girl whom she didn't care to learn the name. Derek was _so hot_!

Envy decided it that night.

Ice cream was his best and only friend.

Except Lena. He liked her. Maybe even more than ice cream.

 **Hihi I hope you guys enjoyed it! I admit I had something else originally planned for it, but it turned out like this ^^**


	74. I'm Sorry Mom and Dad

**ANSWERS TO REVIEW:**

 **Panic:** Thanks! ^^ (sighs) thank you for the kind words, I was never too sure when I first started writing (ok, that was quite a while back) but I never let anyone see my writing and now that I'm actively publishing it, I'm still a tad unsure ^^ So Reviews always give me more confidence and inspiration to write! :)

 **Bob:** Oh hell, I played that once with my cousin. Haha It was creepy I admit, especially since we were younger it was even creepier .

 **CrazyCat:** Ah sorry, that one will be coming either the next chapter or the one after that but it WILL come soon! ;)

 **Anonymous J:** hahaha Thanks girl, I am for now, though exams are getting more terrifying the more I look at my schedule for this month (hides face)

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** haha Don't worry, I intended for the thing with Envy be a small crush, nothing else. I have something else planned for him anyway ;) He likes Lena a lot but more like a friend, he thinks it's a crush because she was the first woman to accept him and act really kind towards him ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own the song or the anime! The song belongs to **Anna Clendening "To My Parents".**

 **I'm Sorry Mom and Dad**

The room was silent, barren of any noise or much furniture.

Except the thing she cherished most, something that Greed had brought for her shortly after he learned she used to play the piano and missed playing on it.

A piano.

The black sleek instrument was the first thing that was carried inside their new house, so there wasn't much furniture elsewhere. But that was enough for her. More than enough. She had been so happy when he presented her with the gift, such a generous gift, surely a large burden on his wallet, but Greed had constantly shushed and reassured her he didn't even feel the half a pound lighter wallet in his jacket, it was as light as a feather as Greed had jokingly told her.

Lena had laughed and thrown herself in his arms, laughing and crying, overwhelmed with emotions for this man as well as for the instrument that had brought many memories good and bad to her.

She bit her lip, before taking a deep, shaky breath as her fingers touched the black and white keys, stroking over them with a sense of nostalgia and nausea.

She hit one smooth note, then another, and before she knew it, she was playing. After a while, she sang along.

 _I'm sorry mom and dad_

 _I know I messed up bad_

 _I should've, should've done, should've done better_

 _I'm sorry mom and dad for all the time I had_

 _To get my life, to get my life together_

 _But I didn't_

Her fingers continued dancing on the keyboards, her smile serene, her eyes sad. She willed her throat not to tighten up at the emotions and memories coursing through her.

 _1983 you gave birth to me_

 _Sleep little baby girl had the world at my feet, before I could even stand._

 _Cradled me in your right and your left hand a precious bundle of unmade plans_

 _Hopes and dreams of bigger things, a bright future so it seemed_

 _But that light grew a little less bright as I grew up we began to fight._

A tear slid down her face and she quickly lifted one hand to wipe it away, fingers continuing to play on the keys, the melody pleasantly ringing in her ears, yet her heart ached with memories.

 _When I was 13 I was so damn mean, running away had nothing more to say than I hate you_

 _But that's not true now_

 _I just don't, I just don't, I just don't know how to say_

 _I'm sorry mom and dad_

 _I know I messed up bad_

 _I should've, should've done, should've done better_

 _I'm sorry mom and dad for all the time I had_

 _To get my life, to get my life together_

 _But I didn't_

Lena's body gave a shiver, emotions threatening to overwhelm her, images of her past and her smiling parents appeared before her eyes.

 _You never talk about me to your friends_

 _Because you must be so embarrassed_

 _I dropped out of college without any plans;_

 _I moved back home I couldn't even pay rent._

 _I was living on your couch trying to figure it out,_

 _cutting myself up, tearing myself down._

For a moment, her hands shook so much she stopped playing, but willed her muscles to work and to continue playing, vivid images appearing before her mind's eye, teeth clenching hard together before she sang again.

 _I'm sorry mom and dad_

 _I know I messed up bad_

 _I should've, should've done, should've done better_

 _I'm sorry mom and dad for all the time I had_

 _To get my life, to get my life together_

 _But I didn't_

 _I'm sorry that I couldn't buy you that house upon that hill_

 _Or take care of all your medical bills_

 _I know I didn't make you proud;_

 _I should've been someone by now but I never figured out how_

 _I'm sorry I couldn't buy you that house upon that hill_

 _Or take care of all your medical bills_

 _I know I didn't make you proud;_

 _I should've been someone by now but I never figured out how_

Lena's fingers picked up speed, quickly but softly pressing down on the keys, concentrating on keeping her emotions in control, not letting her submit to her anger and despair.

 _I'm sorry mom and dad_

 _I know I messed up bad_

 _I should've, should've done, should've done better_

 _I'm sorry mom and dad for all the time I had_

 _To get my life, to get my life together_

 _I'm sorry mom and dad_

 _I know I messed up bad_

 _I should've, should've done, should've done better_

 _I'm sorry mom and dad for all the time I had_

 _To get my life, to get my life together_

 _But I didn't..._

 _Sincerely, Your Daughter..._

And the tears fell.

Her fingers slid off the keyboards, the tears down her cheeks, she cried silently, trying to breathe evenly. She knew if she was too loud she would alert Greed, who was a few rooms away, with his enhanced hearing too.

She wiped away at her tears, her head swimming with memories.

Greed silently watched his girlfriend, he had to command every fiber in his body not to go to her and comfort her, he was visibly shaking. Greed scoffed angrily, he had heard her sing, heard her sing and play...

At this moment, he felt as furious as Wrath himself.

With blazing violet eyes, he stormed away from the scene, his mind screaming at him to understand, his heart screaming at him to go to her and comfort her. He listened to none.

He was angry, not at Lena, never at her, he was angry because...

She blamed herself for something those foolish bastards of parents did.

 **QUESTION:** Why do you guys think Greed was so angry? He stated he wasn't angry at Lena, so at who is he angry? Suggestions and thoughts are welcome! Ideas about Lena's past are welcome too! :)


	75. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Yo! I'm BACK! ;)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Jadasimone16:** I think I described her at one point or another, or if I didn't I'll definitely drop hints along the way! :)

 **Panic:** Thanks buddy! I especially liked the melody of the song, since I think it captured the mood well. Well, I wouldn't want to spoil BUT I can say that doesn't have a good relationship with ONE of her parents (which means either mom or dad, but I ain't telling who! ;) AND Greed actually meets one of them later on (which I will write a extra chapter about!) :D

 **Bob:** Outlast? No, sorry, I think I heard it from somewhere but I never played it before. I'm not sure if you heard but there Skyrim REMASTARED will be coming out! *.* With far better graphics, more fluent game play and DLC characters too! The only thing that's bothering me is that the storyline remains the same . It would have made more sense if Bethesda made something like "Skyrim 2" and improved graphics, game play...etc. AND added a new story and new adventures, then it would have been more interesting.

 **Lily:** Eh close but not quite. There was no physical violence at least, I think there is enough in the show of that xd haha Nah, but she DID have a very...strained relationship with ONE of her parents ;) BUT Greed gets to meet ONE of her parents BEFORE he marries her! :D I'll write a extra chapter about that too!

 **Penguin20:** Really? Cool! I always wanted to learn how to play piano! Not to mention the guitar and the violin! Oh god such beautiful instruments! :3

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** (rubs chin) Hmm, interesting theories. Well, let's just say there's a little bit of truth in each one. ;) I can only say that at one point (separate chapter about it later) Greed will meet ONE of her parents (either mom or dad, but I'm not telling who! ;) and that was the time he found out about her family background.

 **Tomato:** Hi there! :) haha thanks for reading my story and for reviewing! Yeah I know, Lust is the second oldest and Greed (I think) the third oldest of the Homunculi but I switched their roles (with Greed being second oldest). If you're looking for a few chapters about the Homunculi check out: Chap. 3 "The many faces of Greed", Chap. 5 "Sins vs Virtues", Chap. 8 "What Makes us Human", Chap. 9 "Envy Inside Us All", Chap. 12... and so on, just to name a few. Hope you enjoy reading! :)

* * *

 **The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier**

Edward Elric stood in front of the simple grave, scanning it's blank surface. Black army boots stood just short of the disturbed earth before the tomb, the dark grey clouds above slowly moving forward, as if rain was threatening to come.

The young boy clenched his fists, gritting his teeth and grieving for the deceased soldier.

He whispered to the tomb, "I don't know who you are..." his fists shook, "But I...I saw your face! And I'll never forget it!" he took a moment to collect himself, his emotions before he lifted his head slightly. His sad golden eyes held a thin layer of anger, "Why did you do it huh?! Why would you sacrifice yourself to protect some runt like me?! You didn't even know me! You just..." Ed bit his lip, "You just...threw yourself in the way...you had no idea with whom you were dealing with!" Ed growled, feeling despair well up inside of him.

He snarled at the grave, "That had been a Homunculus you fool! I could have blocked it with my automail! Or Mustang would have fried them or...or something! We could have done _something_! I didn't want you to jump in and take the blow! How stupid can you get?! Dying for some kid you didn't know?! What about your kid back home?! Don't you care what will happen to your wife and child?!" Ed stomped his foot against the moist ground hard, fists violently shaking.

And he fell to his knees, punching the ground.

"I never wanted people to sacrifice themselves for us! It was supposed to be just me and Al finding our bodies! I knew we would get injured but I never wanted anyone to sacrifice themselves for us! Much less people that actually had _family_ back home! You had something to go back home for! And you threw it all away! Because of what?! Protecting some unimportant runt like me?!" Ed punched the ground again, sobbing hard, "You idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"

Ed's forehead touched the earth, his whole body shaking as he cried before the tomb stone.

"I remembered your face and your eyes! I won't forget you damn it! I'll come and visit your grave! I promise! I don't know you but I'll place fresh flowers on your grave! And clean it too!" Ed trembled, his throat hurting slightly from the shouting he just did.

He couldn't believe it.

Scar had just slipped away from their hands again and when Ed had wanted to give chase, Lust had just come out of nowhere and wanted to attack Ed with her long nails. He had tried defending himself with his arm, since his automail one was destroyed to bits by Scar.

But he had never felt the pain of her assault. They never reached him. Instead he had felt warm droplets of something falling onto his exposed hand and cheek.

When he had looked up, there had been a man, a soldier, standing above him. He had his arms crisscrossed in front of him, his stance defensive. Lust's nails pierced his abdomen, thigh, heart and arm.

The man had slowly turned his head, as much as he could despite the pain and had looked behind himself at Ed to ensure he was unscathed. Edward's eyes had been wide open in horror, his body frozen stiff in fear.

"A-are you...a-alright?" the man's deep voice sounded strained, full of pain, but he still smiled at Ed, blood trickling from the side of his mouth.

Ed didn't say anything for a few moments, too shocked to speak, but when Lust retracted her nails with a mocking snort, blood seeped from the soldier's wounds to the earth and his eyes, the color of the sky, glazed over before he hit the ground.

Only a few minutes passed before Mustang and Hawkeye had arrived and Lust vanished from the scene. Riza had knelt down to Ed to see if he was alright and when she followed his line of sight and saw the dead soldier on the ground, she knew what had happened.

Roy's gaze was sad as he gazed upon the dead body, dark knowing eyes moving to look at Edward's shell shocked state.

Before the funeral of the dead, unknown soldier, Mustang knew what and how Ed would have been feeling and experiencing. In Mustang's long line of duties he had to fulfill for the military, participating in the Ishval War had been one of them.

He had killed, a lot, and he had been saved by an Ishvalan, who had died right before his eyes, by none other than Kimblee's hand.

Mustang had never forgiven the Alchemist for what he had done and he had tried making a sorry attempt at a small grave for the brave soul that saved his life, but Kimblee had interrupted his mourning by stepping on the makeshift grave.

The words Kimblee had uttered then were forever burned in his mind, _"Mourning for an Ishvalan? Sobbing like a child? You make me sick Mustang, the moment you donned that uniform, things like this were expected from you on a daily basis. You were expected to kill, even innocents, blood is blood, no matter innocent or not. And now you're mourning over the death of somebody you don't even know? How pathetic,"_ Kimblee had walked away then, his cold blue eyes had gazed at Mustang's form like he had been looking down on an insect.

Hughes had sharply critized the alchemist, but Kimblee had ignored him. A few days later, Riza had done the same. She had buried a dead Ishvalan child. Thankfully, Kimblee hadn't been around, for if he had said something to her, Mustang was sure he would have burned him to death on the spot.

They each carried the sins of the past with them, sins and scars only a soldier knew and carried freely. What Kimblee had said was true; the moment soldiers donned their uniforms they were expected to kill, whether they wanted to or not.

But he was wrong about whose blood was spilled, it _did_ matter whether or not it was innocent blood or the blood of a murderer. It _did_ matter whether it was the blood of a family man that had tried protecting his wife and child or the blood of a heartless mass murderer with no remorse for his actions or any regard toward life.

At least, Mustang liked to think so.

Quietly he had watched Ed mourn over the dead, unknown soldier a respectable distance away, until he decided the boy had enough.

He quietly approached from his leaned stance against a tree, he kneeled down and placed a comforting hand on the boy's shaking shoulders. The sudden weight of his hand startled Ed out of his crying, causing him to furiously wipe at his tears with his sleeve.

Mustang smiled a small smile, looking at the tombstone, "Whoever he was, he had been an honorable man. If we find his family, I'm sure they would be proud of him don't you think? The pain of losing somebody is great, but knowing their loved one had done one last good deed before he passed away dampens the sorrow." He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts, "You should remember him, if only his face and learn from the mistakes of the past. If you protect someone, anyone, try not to get killed." He looked meaningfully down at the youth, before he patted his head once and stood up.

Roy bowed his head in respect before he donned his hat and walked away.

He thought of the Ishval War, he thought of Kimblee and the Ishvalan that had saved his life so long ago.

And he thought of the unknown soldier that had protected the man Edward would grow out to be one day, a man, Mustang knew, who would try to help anywhere he could and make sure the mistakes of the past would not repeat themselves.

* * *

 **The end! I hope you all enjoyed it! The feel .** What do you want the next one shot to be about?


	76. Homunculi Children

Inspired by the movie " **Wolf Children** ", a absolutely beautiful lovely story about a father who was a wolf and fell in love with a human woman. Several years later, after living together and starting a family, the father was killed in a accident one night when he wanted to go hunting for his newborn children. The human mother, Hana, decided to took it upon herself to raise her two children, half human and half wolf. The story tells about their lives, the daughter, Yuki, is the narrator of the movie. I really loved to watch it and thought it beautifully written, so I tried doing something similar!

 **NOTE:** The **time travel fic** will be written soon! I just saw the amazing movie above and had the inspiration to write! I'm really sorry about the delay but I'll try to write it as soon as I can!

 **WARNING:** OOC Greed!

 _Text –_ the daughter (Emilia) is narrating the story, just like Yuki is in the original movie.

 _"_ _Text"_ – are Lena's thoughts.

Text – plain text told in third POV.

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Panic:** Thanks Panic! (blush) Eheh, well I wasn't that sure if I wrote it right and managed to get the emotions properly but your compliments seriously boost my spirit! :) haha Yeah, I know don't worry ;) You know I always appreciate each and any ideas so just throw them my way! :D Of course I ask! I realized that not all that many writers directly ask the readers what they think or want, since they partly (or for the majority) influence the story. Besides, I feel like a damn dictator when I write so many of my own ideas it's embarrassing . Ah thank you! ^,^ ugh, don't ask how I learned all of them, it was a pain haha.

 **Anonymous J:** hahaha aw man, I wondered if you were still alive ;) I sure as hell am not, or at least I'm hanging by a thin thread ^^ School is seriously taking its toll on me, I'm sure you noticed I haven't updated anything in a while so yeah...imagine what hell I'm going through with school for ME not to update MY stories...bah . Thanks J you too! ;)

 **Lily:** Hey there Lily! Yeah, I'm so sorry about that! . School is seriously getting to me and I don't even know where my head is anymore! T_T I need some desperate R&R or at least more sleep. Exams have been sucking the life out of me, lack of sleep and stress...combine that and it's poison T.T Ah really? Aw man . 48? Uh...is that good? Or bad? 48 out of 100 or...?

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own the movie "Wolf Children" or any of its characters! I just own my OC's and partly the plot!_**

* * *

 **Homunculi Children**

 _Maybe you'll laugh when I tell you, or write it off as a fairy tale, it couldn't possibly be true. I mean, how could it? This is a story about my mother and it's true, every word of it. The man she fell in love with was also a Homunculus._

 _Back then, mom was also a student at the National University in Amestris, she earned a scholarship to cover some of her tuition and worked a part time job to take care of all the rest._

A young woman, aged twenty two, walked towards her next class in her beloved university, her brown leather bag slung over her shoulder, she was holding a notebook in her other arm. The woman's hair had a slightly reddish hue as the sun hit her brown, shoulder-length tresses, her eyes sparkling with anticipation for her class and what she would learn today.

The air in Amestris was slightly humid today, summer was slowly fading and yet its accompanying heat refused to vanish completely, Lena had dressed in blue sneakers with a white band covering the sides, dark simple jeans and a white shirt, wearing a thin black cardigan over it for the nights knew to be cooler in Amestris.

She took notes on what the professor was saying, making bullet points for when he counted off the different things a professional company would need in the start up phase of it.

"Executives should seek to narrow their markets and focus on targeted customer segments, many young startup companies make the mistake of offering too many services and products for a wide area of customers they may be unqualified to fill, " Lena stuck her tongue out slightly, her brows creasing as she concentrated on rephrasing what the professor was saying in her notebook.

" _Budding entrepreneurs and young startup companies should be careful about their choice of production and execution of that product, many make the mistake of offering too much for any and all sorts of customers, which would result in a very serious problem, as customer needs grow varied and adaptable over time, so should the company. Offering any and all services to the customers would cause in a financial crisis in the early stage of growth, questionable production rates and decreasing income,"_ dark brown eyes narrowed in concentration, lost in the world of business and marketing for a second before coming back down to earth.

She frowned when her hand cramped up a bit from writing too much too fast and shook and rotated her wrist a little to circulate the blood flow again.

" _If you and your small team take too many requests from a client it will lead to eventual disarray within the system, causing mistakes to easily surface in project management and production. You have to learn to identify the most vital projects and finish them off first, once that is done move to the next one and so forth. Seek advice from experts should you get stuck,"_ she wrote down quickly, circling and highlighting the words " _too many requests", "disarray within the system"_ and " _vital projects finish off first"._

As the professor continued talking, Lena paused to look up at the clock, she still had about ten minutes left until class ended. She took the time to look around the spacious room, recognizing most of the students that usually shared this class with her.

 _One early summer day, she noticed a young man she had never seen before. He wore a plain dark shirt, even though he didn't seem to have a textbook, he took notes diligently. She thought he looked out of place in a lecture hall._

Her eyes settled on a young man far to the right, a considerable distance away from any other students, sitting alone. He was dressed in a dark, form fitting shirt, which appeared to be Xingese of some sort and dark hair worn in a pony tail.

She stared at him for a little while, trying to find out where she had seen him before, but nothing came to mind. Maybe he was new, but he did look so out of place, sitting there in lecture hall, furiously writing down notes. She thought it slightly funny, but then again, nothing was what it seemed.

The lecture ended and she stood up with the rest of the students, heading for the professor's desk where she wanted to place her slip marking her as present for this lecture at the desk, however she heard the faint opening of a door from behind her.

She turned around and noticed that the mysterious young man from before had exited through the back and not the front, she also noticed hadn't filled out a slip either. Quickly, Lena ran toward the back, throwing open the door in order to catch up with him. She just saw him round a corner and ran towards the direction she saw him disappear to, she rounded the same corner to the right and saw him descending the stairs.

"Uh, hey, um, excuse me!" she cringed at her awkward greeting, the man looked up at her and she noticed with a start what color his eyes were from her distance.

Violet.

His gaze was what made her slightly wary though, he was almost glaring at her, hands in his pockets, his notebook tucked between his arm and hip as he regarded her with mild curiosity and plenty of what looking like guarded hostility and suspicion.

Lena however raised her chin confidently, "You didn't fill out a slip, they will mark you as absent if you don't, you know?" Lena narrowed her eyes slightly, taking note how the stranger's broad shoulders tensed a bit, "I could grab one for you if-"

"Don't bother," the sound of his deep voice caused her to freeze, sending shivers down her spine. A small smirk grew on the man's lips as he noticed the notion and Lena commanded her body to calm down, "I'm not a student here," it surprised her just a bit, he _had_ looked out of place but that didn't mean he wasn't a part of the student body.

Studying the look on her face, the man turned his head, "I shouldn't have come, see ya," he said offhandedly, already making his way downstairs before Lena could offer a reply, not that she had any to give.

She frowned, for some reason feeling a bit disappointed, until the once quiet halls began to fill with students from all sorts of classes and semesters.

She had followed him and hid behind a wall, observing how he exited the building. Children were playing tag outside and a small child fell to the ground, whimpering in pain, the boy didn't look like he could get up by himself. What shocked Lena the most was the man's reaction, instead of ignoring the crying child and being on his way, he walked over to him and lifted him up, patting his head soothingly before walking away.

Lena's heart warmed at the display, she had thought him to be a strange man, but it seemed like he was kind and had a soft spot for kids.

And he was walking again, well he wouldn't escape her so easily this time. With her goal set and her classes done for the day, she started running after him and stopped him just before he crossed the green lights, "Wait a minute! Hey!"

She caught her breath quickly, looking at the man's tall, broad back, Lena found her words again, "That class you were sitting in on is pretty tough, even with a textbook, so uh, I was thinking if you were looking to come back for another lecture maybe we could share mine?" she briefly held it out for him to see her own textbook, mentally she started berating herself, calling herself foolish and naïve.

The man was pretty wary, cautious as he slowly turned to her and stared her down. She gave a timid smile, so unused to feeling so shy since her middle school days.

* * *

Lena smiled pleasantly as she handed out a bus ticket to a new customer, "Have a nice day!" she called after the leaving man and he sent her a quick smile and a nod, before disappearing through the door. Another woman placed a soda on the counter and Lena recited the price for it that was already in her head as the woman gave her the money plus a tip. She smiled and thanked her, wishing her a nice day.

Once closing time drew nearer, Lena set to work on organizing the money in the cash register and safely storing it in the metal box like every day after work. Working in a shop could be tiresome, especially working overtime, but it paid her bills so she didn't complain much.

When she finished up cleaning the floor and everything else, she could have sworn she saw the man, the man she had met earlier at lecture class, walk by the window and stare at her. But when she rubbed her eyes and looked again, he was gone. She chuckled quietly to herself, deducing she was too tired and already started imagining things.

Once she was home, she cooked herself a plate of vegetable sticks mixed with meat, coated in soy sauce, Cajun spices and a sauce with a meaty flavor she herself made, reading one of her books about management and controlling studies at the same time as she chewed on her food thoughtfully.

* * *

The man with the strange violet eyes and dark hair grunted as he lifted up another box filled with furniture and carried it upstairs, knocking with his free hand on the door of his client and smiling politely when the woman welcomed him inside and directed him where to place her newly arrived furniture.

"Thank you so much! That new bed for my little girl was due time!" the woman smiled, petting her small daughter softly on the head. The man looked down at the girl and smiled, he nodded at the woman and left.

Briefly, he remembered his own siblings and the abusive father they had. He shook his head expelling those thoughts and concentrating on his job.

* * *

"Startups usually need to form partnerships with other firms to enable their business model to operate," the professor's voice rang through the silence of the room and Lena wrote the most important parts down.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a black blur. She turned her head fully to the side to see what she saw and her eyes widened when she saw the young man she had met before, hurriedly running toward her university.

She quickly grabbed her notebook and bag and sat at the far end of the table, away from the small notebook she had scribbled down notes. The man dressed in black plopped down in the seat Lena had previously occupied, confusion washed over his features when he spotted the notebook, filled with scribbles of today's lecture.

He turned wide, disbelieving violet eyes to Lena, who sent him a small grin and continued taking down notes, ignoring the slight fluttering of her heart when she saw him grin from the corner of her eyes.

* * *

And so their meetings went, whenever he would be running late, as rare as those times were, she would be taking down notes for him. She would always give him his space, since she noticed he was more of a private guy, a loner. Her opinion of him brightened when once, due to not catching the bus on time, she was the one running late, she would walk into the lecture hall seeing him hastily move to the other side of the desk, though a bit closer to her side than usually.

When she would sit down on the seat with the small notebook on top of the desk, she would be surprised to see notes written on it of today's lecture. When she looked at the man beside her, the man whose name she didn't even know yet, he wasn't looking at her, but she could make out a tiny smile beneath his spiky bangs on one side of his face.

She smiled and found it slightly troublesome to concentrate on the lecture.

It had been the day where he finally spoke to her after sneaking into the library with her card and going through books, "So, what do you like to read? Apart from your study books," he had asked her. She was still unused to his deep voice, but it left a pleasant feeling in her, so she secretly liked it whenever he spoke. Violet eyes lifted from the book in his hands to look directly into her slightly startled eyes, a small smirk adorning his face when he realized he had caught her off guard by speaking.

"Um, I well, I," Lena quickly cleared her throat and she could swear the man had chuckled at her, "I like to read adventure books and historical romance, but nothing too cliché." She gave a bright smile, "...What do you like to read?" she leaned against one side of the book shelf, the soft smile still on her face as she waited for her answer.

She found his smile endearing when he answered her question, "Pretty much anything as long as it holds my interest, I admit I hadn't been an avid reader before," he scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment and Lena couldn't resist but release a short laugh, highly amused that a man such as him admitted something like that.

She smiled at him and extended her hand to him, "I'm Lena," she saw a emotion flicker in his eyes, the serious face he usually exhibited melted away to deliver a softer version of his smirk.

"Greed," he shook her hand firmly but not too tightly, she didn't want to think too much on it, but the feeling of her smaller hand in his it felt...right. Sort of. His hand felt comfortable and warm, she had to remind herself to withdraw her hand before she held his for too long.

His name though surprised her and he saw it, "Unusual right? Heh," he offered her a smirk, violet eyes boring intently into hers, "Guess I'm a bit greedy about things I want," he closed the book he was holding in his hand shut, walking past her. Lena smiled and followed him out.

* * *

They were walking along the pathway near a park, the sunset bathing them in a soft, orange hue.

"So, what do you do for fun? What are your favorite foods? Have you...ever fallen in love before? What were you like when you were younger?" Lena usually wasn't one for dresses, she owned few really. But she did have a favorite one, it was red, a bit tighter by the waist but not form fitting, flowing freely down till just a little under her knees. Her favorite thing about it was its color, the freedom it still granted her and the red rose pinned above her right breast. She loved that rose.

Greed looked down at her, smiling at her dress and chuckling at how eager she was to find out more about him, "Easy there, wait your turn will you?" he said playfully, smirking, "So, why the name Lena? It's not that of a common name, is it a short form of your longer name?" now he seemed curious.

She giggled, "Well, look who's the curious one! Wouldn't you like to know?" she smirked, "As far as I know it means sunlight, my dad used to say he named me like that because I was fascinated by sunlight when I was a baby, I always kept looking at it and crawling towards it. He used to tell me later how I always smile so brightly and cheerfully, smiling as bright as the sun," she grinned, giggling to herself.

Greed's smirk softened, "Yeah, I can see it," the laugh she released was full of joy and amusement and Greed released a chuckle of his own.

The two walked down the path, passing by people and laughing children.

* * *

The next few weeks passed by in a blur then one day, at evening after work, Lena ran as she tried to catch up on time, waving at her colleague who offered to switch shifts with her so Lena could go earlier from work.

She quickly crossed the street, wearing a warm wool sweater and tights, her bag slung over her shoulder as she finally reached the corner and leaned against it, spotting the same coffee shop where he was waiting in front of for her, reading a prospect from said shop.

She smiled.

* * *

"Every apartment is like a small little world inside, some families have money, some don't." he nodded to one of the middle sized houses, plants surrounding it slightly, "Six people live in that house," he turned and pointed to a smaller house farther away, "Two in that one,"

Both stopped to turn and looked at the city illuminated by lights, "Some are full of kids, others of old folks."

The next thing he said as they watched the city together made her freeze, "It'd be nice to have a home," Lena slowly turned her head, looking up at him, "A place where I belong, where I kick off my shoes, shed my coat, give my face a good wash, sit back in a comfy chair...it must be nice. I could build a bookshelf and maybe a room for training...once that's done, what keeps me from building more? The possibilities are endless..." Greed chuckled, "Ya just can't put a price on freedom like that..." he took a deep breath of the fresh air, as if tasting freedom on the tip of his tongue.

When she saw the unusually peaceful expression on his face, she gained enough courage to voice her thoughts, "I could belong there too...if you don't mind the company," a small grin adorned her face though it wasn't her usual confident, cheery one. It showed her nervousness, about being so open to a man who was closed off himself, but she felt she could trust him.

The frown on his face said otherwise.

When he walked her home, he was silent the whole way, while that by itself wasn't unusual, but then she didn't hear the footsteps behind her anymore and she fully stopped when he spoke, "Lena..." she turned around, watching his serious, troubled expression with concern as the cars drove by.

"Yeah? What is it?" she asked, hoping he would open up to her.

"There's something I gotta tell ya..." his expression suggested he was searching for words to express himself, so she waited patiently, and waited.

"I...I'm not..." Greed clenched his fists, his long black coat swishing gently from side to side, he shook his head, "Nah, ya know what? Never mind," with those words he turned his back to her and started to walk away. But Lena stopped him.

"Wait! Greed!" he stopped and turned just so he could see her, "You...you know you can trust me...right?" she offered him a warm smile.

Slowly, a smirk spread on his face and he hid his satisfied grin from her, "Yeah...I know Lena," the smile still in place and a better feeling now in his gut, he left her, muttering how she should watch out for herself on her way back home.

She had assured him she would be fine, but for some unexplainable reason, she had a hunch Greed would make sure nothing bad would happen to her.

Until she saw an approaching car far too late, the driver had forgotten to switch on the lights, much less warn her by sounding the car horn. She knew it was too late to even attempt to dodge, in a instinctive way, she crossed her arms in front of her face and braced herself for the impact.

All she heard was a loud crash, the driver shouting and swearing loudly, and a warm body near her, a strong arm holding her against a equally strong chest.

Her eyes shot open in surprise, what shocked her even more was the man that had saved her life, was none other than Greed.

He smirked down at her, "Good thing you have me," she was in too much shock to question how he didn't die protecting her, how his arm effortlessly stopped and half destroyed the car.

* * *

They didn't wait long to meet again, on this day it was a particularly chilly night, so Lena had donned her warm winter coat and scarf.

She still thought about the incident with the car, how Greed hadn't been harmed at all. She would need to question him once she meets him.

Greed had requested for them to meet in the woods, she felt excited and confused at the same time, she knew she could trust him, but why in the woods? At this time of night as well? She could only wonder as she strolled through the trees and found the clearing he described, he was already there waiting for her.

Dressed in a version of his old coat with white fur trim and a dark blue scarf around his neck, Greed offered her a warm smirk. She smiled and wanted to approach him, but he stopped her with a hand.

"Wait," his voice didn't have that semi-confident tone he usually carried, his broad shoulders were slightly slumped, as if a heavy burden weighted on them, "I know I can trust you Lena... and it's time to show you...what I really am," uncharacteristically sad violet eyes met hers and she felt a pang in her heart.

"Greed? What's wrong? What do you mean? Is this about the car accident?" he didn't answer, he just stood there, but then he suddenly grabbed his arm and twisted it, Lena heard a sickening, loud cracking of bones and her eyes widened in horror and concern, "Greed! What are you-?!"

"Wait," his voice was far too calm for the pain he just experienced, but she stood rooted to the spot. Until it happened.

His arm healed. Or at least that's what she thought was happening. Red electric-like currents surrounded his arm, working up the length of it where the bone was fractured, the unnatural angle his arm used to be in righted itself to its former state.

Greed lifted his arm up, he pulled the sleeve of his coat down, revealing a slightly tanned, muscled arm, looking completely fine, nothing broken, nothing damaged.

Lena's eyes were wide, shocked, it seemed she was incapable of forming words. Greed frowned in worry, "Lena...that...that's not the only thing..." he looked severely uncomfortable.

Slowly, Greed took off his coat, placing it on the ground, revealing the familiar dark form fitting shirt he wore, which exposed his bare, muscular arms. Lena's eyes widened further when suddenly something black started covering his arms, in the dim light which came from the city not too far from the forest, she could see his now dark arms were almost shining, the kind of shine metal got when light hit it.

Greed walked toward a tree and punched it, hard, instead of his hand being broken like she expected, the _whole_ tree got destroyed in the middle where he had punched it and lastly it fell down heavily to the ground, heavy vibrations causing Lena's toes to curl.

Her erratically beating heart calmed slightly at the crestfallen and ashamed look on Greed's face, "I'm sorry...just...I shouldn't have shown it to you..." Greed briskly picked up his coat but before he could cover himself with it, Lena ran the short distance toward him and stopped him.

Disbelieving violet eyes looked down into her stunned brown ones and Lena soothingly patted his broad shoulder, feeling the impossibly hard muscle encased in what she assumed to be a substance sturdier than metal, at least it looked like it.

Gently, she traced his arms, then the arm where she thought it was broken but had been repaired, as if by magic. Greed silently watched her, trepidation settling on his features the longer the silence lasted.

He turned his head away in shame, "Lena...look at me, tell me what you see," the look in his eyes was sad, ashamed.

Lena smiled, gently cupping his face and turning his handsome face back to look at her, she lovingly ran a hand through his black hair, and moved on her toes to kiss his nose, "You wanna know what I see? I see the man I fell in love with, nothing more, nothing less," her smile was kind and understanding.

 _He told her that as one of the seven deadly sins, the sin of avarice, he had six siblings and the man that had created them, called "Father". He told her that he had opposed them from the beginning as they were wreaking havoc on humans and killing innocent people, the Philosopher Stone inside of him was created by sacrificing so many people so he had took it upon himself to redeem his sins and help humans as much as he could._

 _My mother knew the world was full of mysteries, but...his heart wasn't one of them..._

* * *

"Were you shocked?" Greed asked in the silence and privacy of her room, bare in front of her eyes, the dark substance covering his body, what he called the "Ultimate Shield" served to protect him from any and all harm. Despite her answer in the woods, his nerves were eating away at him.

Mutely, she nodded her head, equally bare in front of him, her arms shyly crossed over her chest.

"...Are you leaving me?" he quietly asked that question, his heart racing with fear. He kept his distance, afraid of scaring her anymore than he already did.

To his immense relief, she shook her head violently in the negative, gathering his courage, he carefully, slowly lifted his hand, small sharp claws adorning his fingers caused by his shield, but he retracted his arm, afraid he was going too far.

To his shock, she grabbed his hand and placed it on her cheek, nuzzling into it slightly, with his heart in his throat he asked her when he noticed how her body shivered, "You...you are trembling, are you scared?" fear wrapped around his heart like the claws of a eagle wrapped around its prey, but she lifted her head slowly, her eyes meeting his.

He was slightly startled when she spoke softly but with conviction, "No I...I am not...because it's you Greed," she offered him a smile, caressing the hand that was lovingly cupping her cheek.

Taking it as encouragement and permission, Greed slowly, still deathly afraid, leaned forward, first he leaned his forehead against her own, taking in her warmth, he didn't cover his face with his shield as that would prove difficult for him to breathe.

He gently nuzzled her nose with his nose and he smiled when she did the same, giggling softly.

Relief and contentment flooded through Greed's entire being and he relaxed, slowly kissing her, lovingly, pouring his feelings into their first kiss.

However, he was startled when she placed a hand on his shoulder, gently tracing his prominent collarbone and his chest, then moving upwards towards his neck and jaw, caressing it softly.

Greed smiled, allowing himself to fully open up to the woman he knew he would spend the rest of his life with and where he knew his secret was safely guarded. There was no doubt in his mind now.

He was home.

* * *

 _Her beloved, my father, was the third son of a man he only knew as "Father", who had detached his human emotions, particularly his sins, from his being and so he and his siblings were born. Not through a mother, but through the power of a ancient Stone that used human souls as its energy source, the reason why my father had a prolonged life, fast healing abilities and his nearly impenetrable shield. After a long and hard battle where the Homunculi fought against the humans, he was the only one left, all his other siblings killed. Some other people may view it to be a curse, that he was the last remaining Homunculus, but my mother had viewed it a blessing._

 _With his family gone he had resigned himself to a life of loneliness, he got a new job, a new apartment which was nearer the center and kept to himself. Since he lacked any sort of birth certificates or any documents at all, he never got too close to any people, when someone would ask questions, he would look for another job. Dad had made peace with life spent alone, until he met her._

The following morning, everything had fallen into place.

Lena had feared everything had been a horrible dream, a dream she conjured up, but when she woke up, just to see him looking at her with a soft, roguish grin, she felt at home.

And so, they lived together now. Greed made sure they went out after work, either to simply take a long walk or go to eat somewhere. It made her feel cherished, loved and she enjoyed every second of it.

Imagine her shock when she went to the doctor one day due to consistent morning sicknesses, that she found out she was pregnant.

At first, she had no idea what to think or feel but happiness, but then she felt fear, fear that if her children had the same powers as their father, that people would shun them for their heritage.

She didn't know how he found out, but the minute she had walked out of work, she was enveloped in familiar, strong arms, held safely in the embrace of her beloved as he twirled her around in uncontrollable happiness.

He had told her how much he loved her, tears in his eyes, something she never saw before, before he kissed her fiercely and immediately brought her home, making sure she was as comfortable as possible, while going through his coupons again to search for chicken soups and herbal teas which would help her morning sickness.

She had laughed and told him she would feel that way for a while, but he just shook his head and kissed her forehead, telling her everything would be alright and that they would be fine.

She had laughed when one night Greed returned from the grocery store, arms loaded with bags filled with chicken soup, pain killers, sweets and other things he viewed as a remedy to make her feel better in her condition.

Though the morning sickness would drain most of her energy to do much at all, Greed had been a support through and through, holding her hair and soothingly patting her back when she emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

It had been long, strenuous nine months, but finally it came. Their baby was born.

It was a beautiful little girl, as healthy as one could get, under these circumstances, they have decided to carry out the birth in their home, since they feared traces of Greed's powers may show in their children when born and make questions arise they could not answer.

So far, Emilia, had shown no signs of inheriting Greed's powers, though a few hours later after she rested, when she opened her eyes Lena was glad she had his eyes, violet.

Their second daughter, Avaritia, was born a year after and their new happy life couldn't have been any better.

Until they came.

And took him away from them.

 _Armed men had come with special devices which weakened dad's stone, dad had fought them with everything he had but there was one thing not even mom knew about. While dad's injuries would heal he couldn't protect himself with his shield at the same time, we didn't know how, but those men had known about his secret. Mom never spoke about it directly, she just said that had been the last time she had seen dad again and we all knew what happened. Mom had searched for him for weeks but she eventually gave up since she had to take care of us..._

 _The years passed and we had to move, mom had been just a college student back then, she eventually had to give up on her studies and moved with us to the country side after she realized it was far too dangerous to live in the city where people would ask questions._

The car ride had been long and strenuous for the young family, Lena had almost fallen asleep but the kind driver had woke her up when they neared the country side, the small rural village of Resembool.

Lena smiled while she watched the scenery go by, farmers growing crops outside or watering budding vegetables. It all looked so idyllic to her that it almost seemed like a dream. She clutched the photo in her pocket, the only one she had of Greed and her together.

And when she had visited their first house she had immediately liked it, it was large, equipped with a large garden, a small shed and swings near the house where the children could play, away from prying eyes and ears.

The man that had shown her the house warned her of its old state, pointing out the old wooden planks, most of which were falling apart, the sliding doors were mostly intact but dusty.

There would need to be a lot of work and time put into it, but Lena didn't care, it was the perfect environment for raising her kids without fearing ridicule or overzealous scientists searching to experiment on them or analyze their blood.

 _Mom knew we weren't a normal family, she did everything she could to protect us but back then we didn't understand it. She had taken hours to drive to town to buy us food, she worked herself to the point of exhaustion so we had a home and felt loved. She always kept dad's picture on a desk in a corner, a small glass with a lilies and a rose next to it. Mom made sure to change the water and bring fresh flowers. I heard her talking to him a few times, I'm sure my sister did too, whenever she would lose hope and didn't know what to do anymore. She would ask him for guidance and be unsure if she was a good mother._

"Ava! Emi! No! Stop it!" Lena rushed over to her two fighting daughters, both equipped with dangerously sharp claws coated in the Ultimate Shield, both encircling each-other before lunging at one another, tearing at the other's hair, shouting and scratching.

Their bleeding cuts healed, but new ones continued to appear.

Unlike with their dad, their advanced healing abilities only exhausted themselves when fatigue would hit them both and they could both barely stand. Lena pried the two bickering children away from each-other, but ended up gaining a scratch on her shoulder for it.

She fell back, clutching at the minor bleeding wound. Everything stopped, it seemed like time stood still as their mother's pained cry drew both girls out of their mutual anger.

"Mommy!" both shouted, their claws instantly disappearing while they moved toward the middle aged woman to tend to her.

"Mommy...we are sorry, please! W-we didn't mean-!" Avaritia began but her mother silenced her with a hand on her shoulder and a warm, understanding smile.

"I know Ava, Emi, I know. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Lena righted herself slowly to a sitting position, still clutching her wound to still the bleeding, her daughters gazing up at her worriedly and apologetically.

"Mommy!" Emilia snuggled into her mother's comforting arms, feeling genuine remorse for her careless actions.

Not only did they attempt to injure each-other but they actually injured their mother as well.

Avaritia slowly, like a wounded pup, moved closer to her mother and kissed her cheek, violet eyes drawn to her wound.

Lena laughed gently, patting both girls on the head, "Hey, you two, I'm alright. This is just a scratch, see?" she moved her arm, firmly keeping her lips shut to silence the hiss of pain that had threatened to vocalize itself.

Both girls sent each-other a worried look.

* * *

 _The vegetables mom had planted in our garden didn't grow as well as they should have. We didn't know back then how serious it was, we noticed mom had been upset about it but we thought it would be alright, that mom could do it, because she already did so many things that shouldn't have been possible for a young mother without a husband and two children, half human and half Homunculi. A few years passed and Ava and I started getting older..._

"Mom!" 8-year-old Emilia shouted loudly, happily skipping toward her mother, who was working the garden tirelessly as usual.

The woman wiped her forehead off sweat and paused briefly, taking a few deep breaths to collect herself, before turning to her excited daughter, "What is it Emi? Is everything alright? Is your sister alright?" she looked around worriedly for her other daughter.

Emilia smiled and nodded, "Mhm! She's chasing a butterfly! Mommy, when can I finally go to school?"

While the question was completely normal and innocent, a sense of dread filled Lyca to the brim and she froze on the spot. She knew this day would come. And she hadn't expected it to run smoothly at all.

"Emi, call your sister will you?" she patted her confused daughter on the head, placing the shovel on the ground and taking off her working gloves while she walked ahead toward their house.

"Yes mommy?" both young girls looked up at their mother in confusion and eagerness, bouncing impatiently on the balls of their feet.

Lena sighed, "So, you...want to go to school?" she would need to figure out if they really wanted to or if it was just a passing interest.

Avaritia looked confused and not very happy about the question while Emilia looked positively giddy, bouncing in her seat from excitement, "I do! I do!" Emilia shouted, grinning widely.

Lena smiled kindly and looked at her younger daughter, "What about you Ava? Would you like to go to school too?" she had noticed her daughter's rather passive expression at the prospect of school but she had to be sure.

The little girl frowned, "But I don't wanna go to school mommy..." she crossed her little arms, before she yelped when her sister grabbed her ear.

"Oh come on Ava! Don't be such a pooper! I'm sure school will be fun! We will get to see other children too!" Ava smiled a small smile at the thought at meeting out children their age since there weren't any in the village but Lena could see she wasn't too thrilled at the idea.

That had been one of many times they have talked about school, about how it was there, Lena didn't want to lie to them but she tried keeping it as simple as possible, to let them develop their own ideas of school and not her putting any ideas into their heads.

Summer ended quickly and the start of school was almost there, Lena had enrolled them into the nearest school she could find, it was two hours away by car and a three and a half hour away by bus but she could manage, not to mention there was a school bus going through the village so she wouldn't need to rent a car.

After she put her daughters to bed, Lena quietly opened a drawer, from the same desk where the picture of her late love stood on, in memory to him, and took out a rectangular box from within it.

She slowly opened the box and counted the savings she had vigorously tried to hold.

She frowned, sighing heavily before putting it back into its place and shutting the drawer closed. Money was getting short and with the kids starting school tomorrow, she would need to get a job as soon as possible as well.

She lifted her head to look at the picture of Greed and her, smiling happily, Greed grinning widely, showing his sharp teeth.

She smiled, "I always liked your smile, you know. I had been a bit scared of you back in college, because you always looked so grumpy and angry," she giggled quietly, "But then...after we spent some time together and you told me about how you longed for a home, somewhere you belong...I realized, those fond feelings I have had for you...they were stronger than what I had imagined. I was so shocked when you asked me, quite cheesily I might add, if I wanted to be your girlfriend a few months later. You talked about courting me but you had no idea I would have said yes even without the courting. You were such a gentleman, a loudmouth, but a gentleman to me." She paused, her hands wringing themselves in the material of her pants, her hair obscuring her face.

"Then...that night...when you showed me who you really were...I was shocked, very shocked. I never thought it possible in the first place but...you proved me wrong. I had been shocked, but I never stopped loving you and never will," she lifted her head up to gaze at the picture again and smiled, brown eyes glistening with unshed tears she stubbornly rubbed away, "And then before we made love...how you asked me if I would leave you or if I was afraid of you...I found it a bit cute and funny, because you were shaking too, despite your usual confidence you were also afraid, afraid of the future, of how it would all continue." She bit her lip, shaking slightly.

"We were so happy dearest...so happy...especially when Emi and Ava came...but then you...they took you away...just because you were different..." she clutched her pants hard, digging her nails into the material, "Just b-because you didn't get to choose what family you had or how you were born!" her head lifted again, tears short of falling from her eyes but she stubbornly kept them back.

"I often don't know what to do with Emi and Ava, I don't think I'm a good mother, at least not the kind they need to understand their other half better. I don't know anything much about Homunculi, I should have asked you about it but...I wasn't sure if bringing it up would have upset you or not. I'm afraid, I want the girls to choose their path in life later on but...what if they will resent either of their halves? Human or Homunculi? Could they live with both of them? I mean...you harbored resentment towards your family for doing what they did and for humans because they rejected you...I don't know anymore Greed, I just don't know,"

"I miss you...so, so much..." she rested one hand against the wood of the desk and silently cried.

* * *

 _We started school soon enough, mom had been very worried and had strictly told us never to reveal who we really were. She told us to be careful when playing with the other kids and not to get angry or upset, because we would instinctively activate our shields or when we found be injured or get cut, we would heal instantly and that would make people suspicious. Back then, we didn't really understand the reason behind why we should do it, we just did it because it made mom happy._

"Ava! Come on already! You're too slow!" Emi called after her younger sister, waving at her to urge her in order to catch their bus.

Ava grimaced in displeasure, "Mom...remind me again why I need to go to school? It's no fun in school," she sighed, crossing her arms.

Even after two years of going there, Avaritia still didn't like school one bit. She didn't like the people there, her sister and her had enhanced senses as well, and to her, all those humans there smelled funny. She also didn't like their attitudes and how weird they were.

Her mother frowned but petted her head and smiled, "I'm sure it will be fine honey, after all, you told me you liked a boy in your class right?" her mother grinned teasingly, winking.

The girl flushed, "N-no, I never said that! I just said that he annoys me and calls me weird all the time! He said he didn't like me because I beat him up for insulting Emi!" the girl growled, her violet eyes a blazing inferno of emotions.

Lena sighed, "Alright sweetheart, please behave at school alright? Listen to your sister and don't forget-"

The girl, 11 years of age now, drawled, "Yeah, yeah, I know. 'Don't show my powers to the humans and keep my identity secret'. Don't worry mom, I know," she offered her caring mother a small smile and pecked her on the cheek.

Lena smiled brightly and pecked her back, gently pushing her back toward where her older sister was impatiently waiting.

Avaritia gave her mother one last look before smiling and jogging towards her older sister who shook her head and walked side-by-side with her toward the station.

* * *

The first time it happened, a boy had threatened her sister. That had been when the sisters turned 14 and 15.

Avaritia was the more...aggressive one of the sisters, their mother had mentioned a couple of times that their father had also been a bit of a hothead, not to mention his fierce temper when angered and his foul mouth.

Ava had seen red when she saw her sister trying to get away from some older boy that grabbed a lock of her hair, holding her wrist in his other hand, a grin on his face.

She had heard how her sister told him multiple times to back away but the boy didn't listen, instead he had come closer and that had been the last straw.

She didn't notice when it happened, but after she had left a claw mark on the boy's shoulder and noticed the warm blood on the tips of her shield covered claws, it had been too late.

The boy had scrambled to get up again from the ground, shouting 'monster' and 'freak' over and over. Avaritia was frozen in place, panting heavily, her normal hands hanging limply on her sides, blood dripping slowly from them to soak in the earth beneath her feet.

After the initial shock had passed, Emilia slowly, cautiously approached her sister, "Ava? Hey Ava? Are you...are you alright?" she saw the blood, saw the angered expression on her sister's face, followed by one of worry and fear.

The boy would surely tell the principal what had happened and who had done this to him, her secret would be out, they would have to move, mom would need to burden it all again...

Not even two hours passed and both girls were sitting in the principal's office, their mother, whom a friend from the village had driven to school quickly, sitting next to them, a very worried expression on her face.

The principal himself was looking between the wounded boy and the two girls, he stood from his chair, "I've been told your daughter has done harm to the boy," the principal announced but before he could continue the mother of the boy spoke up loudly.

"Done harm?! Are you blind?! She could have cut off his arm! I don't know what happened and how she did that but that girl isn't normal!" she pointed a perfectly manicured, accusing finger at said girl, who cowered under the heated glare of the adult woman.

Lena's face drew into a mask of anger and fierce protectiveness when she herself stood up, "How dare you say that to my daughter?! Don't you have any questions on how a little girl such as her would be able to wound somebody like this without some sort of weapon! And my daughter doesn't have any weapons! Should she have injured the boy then I'm sure she had a very good reason because I did not raise her to mindlessly harm people!" Lena's eyes narrowed firmly, fully intent on protecting her children, the only things she had left.

The principal cleared his throat to end the possible heated discussion between the two women, "Well? Avaritia, would you mind telling us what reason you possibly had for injuring him?" the principal's kind eyes looked down at Ava's low bowed head.

Several minutes passed before the girl spoke in a quiet tone, gaze downcast, "He tried to hurt her," slowly, she lifted her head, her burning gaze meeting the principal's surprised ones, "He tried to hurt my sister! I won't let some creep hurt my sister!" her voice rose dangerously but her mother's firm hand on her shoulder made her freeze.

Slowly, she looked up at her mother, whose expression turned angry as she looked at the other woman in the room, the mother of the boy, "Your son tried to hurt my daughter? Is that right?" brown eyes turned to look down at the injured boy, who had a bandaged wrapped around the wound visible through the torn sleeves of his shirt.

The boy looked very uncomfortable now, shifting his legs in his seat, "I...well I..."

"Well?" Lena pressed sharply and the boy flinched.

"I...I-I did..." he squeaked out, feeling as small as an ant.

Furious brown eyes rose to meet the son's mother's shocked ones, "Why I-I would have never expected this from you! How could you!? Embarrassing me in front of all these people!?" the mother was devastated, sharply tugging on her son's ear, who yelped in pain.

The principal narrowed his eyes, "I believe there is an apology in order, Avaritia, my sincere apologies for this misunderstanding," he smiled slightly, the girl in question nodded, too stunned to speak.

Emilia sat quietly, glaring at the cowering boy opposite of her.

Once the family exited the school building, Lena kneeled down on the ground to look her daughter's in the face with a small grin, "Well, we certainly showed them didn't we?" she grinned wider, chuckling.

Avaritia and Emilia's eyes widened, "W-what? B-but mom! I thought you would be really upset!" Ava cried, afraid of her mother's reaction.

Lena blinked, before she laughed softly, patting her daughter's head affectionately, "Why would I be? I would have been angry had you hit the boy without any reason. But protecting your sister was as good reason as any if you ask me," she winked, "Though next time please don't hurt them too bad and Emilia, this goes for you too," she looked each of them in the eye sternly.

At their nod, she smiled and kissed them on the forehead, finally going home.

 _That had been the first and last incident we ever showed our powers, we used them to train or to help mom with household chores. Every time I walked passed dad's picture on the desk, I stopped to look at it. It was funny, I knew what dad looked like, at least from the photo, but I never got to know who the man was behind it. Mom had talked fondly of him of course, but she never went into detail and we never asked. We only knew that dad didn't have the loving family we do, but the question we were afraid to ask mom was; why?_

 **Will be continued as Part 2 in the next chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed this long chapter! :) Thank you all for reading!**


	77. Back in Time

**ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** Oh please do! It's such a beautiful movie really! . I cried at a few scenes! Once again, I'm sorry for not updating in a while, exams have been stressing the life out of me .

 **Penguin20:** Yeah, unfortunately :/

 **Cassey:** No, the men that had come to get him killed him. He sacrificed himself in the end because they would have taken away his family if he hadn't freely gone with them.

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** Thanks so much! I always appreciate hearing such reviews! :) I think I stated it at one or two points; when the girls were fighting or the situation that happened at school, when she injured the boy.

 **Panic:** Thanks so much Panic! :3 Thanks for the kind wishes, I'm sorry though that I didn't update in so long :P Tomorrow is my last exam so I can finally breathe a bit I the holidays.

 **OtakuGirl:** Oh Greed looks like Ling in this.

 **GrumpyCatWriter101:** Aw, hey there! Haha I'm really happy that you like my stories! :3 It makes me motivated to write more, ah the thing about Lena's parents, I'll write that up as soon as I wrap up the next chapter "Wolf Children Part 2" ;)

* * *

 **Back in Time**

Ling looked upon the ruins of what used to be a battle for life and death, a battle which would have decided the future of the entire world. What remained of it now was nothing but rubble and blood soaking the earth.

He lifted his head to look up at the sky, where his best friend had vanished. Ling briefly wondered if Greed was sent to the Gate or what even happened to him at all. He chuckled humorlessly, maybe the bastard made it to hell before he did.

Ling's hand clenched into a tight fist as his lips drew in a thin line, he lowered his head, resting his forehead on his bent knee.

He exhaled softly, dreading the silence that filled him now with the absence of thousands of souls as well as that one soul that had kept talking and bickered with him over everything and anything. He missed that voice, he missed his best friend, he missed Greed damn it. Ling thought that he was greedy sure, but then he encountered the sin of Greed itself and strangely enough after a rocky start, they developed something that Ling never thought he would with somebody else after his estrangement with his real siblings.

He had felt connected to Greed, like they were brothers and it greatly pained him to think of his sacrifice, of not ever seeing Greed again or hearing that obnoxious laughter of his, or ever see his weird all black sense of style anymore. He strongly suspected Greed had had a hand in dictating Ed's clothes to a degree, the black coat Ed had worn before would be proof of that anyway.

Ling sighed, thankful for the absence of Lan Fan and the others for once, he could grieve alone and try to collect his thoughts.

Ling hadn't noticed it before, but being left alone to your thoughts was terrifying. Either your mind is completely blank or you feel a building pressure, feeling the emptiness that was usually filled with Greed's witty remarks and at times helpful advice.

" _Greed..._ " Ling thought inside his mind, as if waiting or the sin to reply like he always did.

But no reply came.

Ling's heart throbbed in pain at the realization.

He looked ahead, over the buildings of Central, "A country is nothing without its king, but a king is nothing without his people...but a person is nothing without that one person that completes him," Ling took a deep breath.

He realized that it didn't have to be a person you were romantically involved with to complete you, it could be a friend, family or even a stranger that had inspired you to keep moving forward and not lose hope.

Ling smiled, it was now or never.

He jumped down from the roof, landing on a nearby window and slowly maneuvering down from there, he constantly had to remind himself that he didn't have Greed's handy healing abilities now and that if he did break a bone or two, it would need to heal for far longer than just a few minutes.

" _I'm coming Greed,"_

* * *

Mei blinked, completely caught off guard by the man standing before her, thinking he may have a concussion or something, "Um...you what?"

Ling's look was serious, "I want to go back," his voice was deathly serious and Mei didn't think he was joking.

"Go back where Ling?" Alphonse asked, his arm around Mei's shoulders as he regarded his friend with curiosity.

"Back in time, back to before...before Greed disappeared," he clenched his fists, "If I alter the events, Greed will survive, we wouldn't suffer so many casualties, everything would be better, we would be happier-"

Edward suddenly stood up from his chair, startling Winry who was sitting opposite of him by the table, "Edward!"

Ed harshly grabbed the collar of Ling's shirt and pulled him forward, a scathing, serious glare in his gold eyes which spelled warning, "Don't you _dare_ do something as stupid and reckless as that you idiot! Haven't you learned _anything_?! Anything at all?! Greed willingly sacrificed himself! He had planned it for a while! He didn't do it on a whim! His sacrifice would go to waste if you selfishly trample all over it! Altering the past could cause disastrous changes to the future, it would be a whole negative chain reaction!" Ed's eyes narrowed, his hand clenched into a fist, "What about us huh? About everyone here? If you go back in time and change something there, the future right here changes too! What if Lan Fan disappears or dies in the battle with Father? What if we never have families? If Mustang and Hawkeye weren't able to get married huh?"

Ling's face was an expression of shock, frozen stiff in Ed's strong grasp. Growing irritated at his lack of response, Ed shook the Xingese Emperor roughly, "Well?! Answer me Ling! Don't you care about anything around you?! You're the Emperor of your country, you have your own people to worry about!" Ed growled, fists shaking.

Winry stood up from her seat and moved toward her husband, grabbing the arm that was holding Ling up and sternly saying, "Ed! That's enough! Let him go!" at Winry's pleading look, Ed reluctantly relented, snorting and briskly walking back to his seat at the table, his cup of coffee all but forgotten now.

The intense glare he was sending Ling however didn't waver in the slightest and Ling met his stare head on, Alphonse thought now was the time to say something, stepping between the two to break the heated glaring contest, "I think we should all calm down now, brother please." He shot his elder brother a pleading look, placing a comforting hand on Ling's shoulder to calm the Emperor down.

Ed snorted, looking away angrily and crossing his arms. Ling's shoulders shook and he shoved off Alphonse's hand from his shoulder, storming out of the house.

He ignored the calls of his name and marched into the city, ignoring the perplexed and worried looks he received from the people around him.

 _Greed!_

Ling ran toward one house he thought he would get help, he ran up the stairs and pounded his closed fist against the door, ignoring the angry calls from neighbors around him.

"Hey! Wake up old man! I know you're in there!" he grit his teeth, anger fueling his actions as he kept pounding on the door.

After a few minutes, the door opened suddenly, revealing the shorter doctor to the Emperor's furious gaze, "What the-?! What in the world are you doing here?! Don't you know how late it is?!" a grim, annoyed look settled over the wrinkled, wise face.

Ling ignored his protests, "Listen Dr. Marcoh! Can you...do you know if the Philosopher's Stone has..other properties?"

Marcoh's gaze hardened, turning serious the moment the young emperor spoke of the philosopher's stone, quickly, he grabbed his arm and ushered him inside, closing and locking the door behind him, as if wanting to keep the secret away from the outside world.

"What do you mean by other properties?" the elder man fixed him with a glare, arms crossed.

Ling shifted his weight from one foot to another, "Well..." he scratched his chin, "I...is it possible to travel back in time? Or...-"

Marcoh's eyes widened, "Bring back the dead?! You fool! Have you learned nothing at all?! It's impossible to bring back the dead without fatal consequences! Sometimes I wonder for what you use that muscle in your head for boy!" he grit his teeth in severe annoyance, sighing heavily.

"Please doctor! I..." his expression turned desperate and sad, "I want to see Greed again,"

Dr. Marcoh sighed, understanding settling over his features, "I understand where you're coming from, but it is impossible to use the Stone that way." He looked at Ling's crestfallen features, "However, you have mentioned time travel?"

Ling perked up immediately, straightening from his slumped position, "Yes!"

Marcoh rubbed his chin in thought, "There is a way...but-"

"Oh thank you, thank you Dr. Marcoh I-" Ling rejoiced happily, nearly jumping around in joy, tears in his eyes.

Dr. Marcoh sharply knocked him over the head, "Listen boy! I will only say this once and you better listen well! Under no circumstances are you allowed to alter _anything_ in the past! Which means you are also not allowed to actually meet Greed or anyone else from there in person, you understand? _Nobody_ from the past is allowed to see you or there may be severe changes in the future and this present," worry lines were visible as he chewed on his bottom lip.

Ling nodded seriously, understanding the seriousness to heed the old doctor's words and take them to heart, "I understand Dr. Marcoh but...what would happen here if I'm gone into the past?" he rose an eyebrow, thinking of his country.

The old man sighed, "Kids these days..." he looked up at Ling, "I suggest you inform your wife that you won't be able to tend to your country for some time."

Ling nodded, "Would you be so kind as to tell her that? I want to go now," once again, he nodded firmly, bracing himself.

Marcoh sighed and nodded, "Alright, I hope you know what you are doing," Ling closed his eyes, waiting for the magic stone to work.

Nothing happened for a while, he heard rummaging and things being moved, "Dr. Marco-"

Darkness. And a great deal of pain.

He never knew these time travel things could be so painful.

* * *

Ling stirred, slowly, his head was pounding and he felt drained. Could these be the after effects of time travel? He shook his head, his thoughts slowly clearing. He didn't know but he wouldn't let that deter him from his goal.

Carefully, Ling stood up and blinked when he found himself in what looked like a sewer...well, at least he knew he was underground.

He heard rapidly approaching footsteps coming from behind him, Ling thought quickly and jumped high in the air.

Clutching the semi-slippery wall of cobblestone for dear life, Ling observed how a short bald man carrying a large bag jogged forward with a... _tail_? He blinked, narrowing his eyes and he noticed it looked to be a chimera, half reptilian perhaps.

Once the man was far away enough, Ling jumped off the wall and landed on his feet, opting to stay away from the water to prevent any noises from sounding and alerting the chimera of his presence.

He still had no idea where he was and if the chimera was friend or foe and it _was_ in the past, so there was a chance he didn't even arrive in Amestris yet at all.

"Mr. Greed! Mr. Greed! I have the supplies!" a male but a bit lighter voice called out followed by a deep chuckle. A familiar chuckle. Ling picked up his pace.

He stealthily hid himself from view, what he saw made him bite his lips and lock his body in place to not shoot forward and do something stupid.

It was him. Greed. He was there, he was alive.

The only thing Ling could recognize about him were the familiar violet eyes and the grin, otherwise his appearance was completely different. Ling deduced he must be using another human as a host.

Around him were people, but their appearance was slightly different. A large man had small horns on top of his forehead, elongated teeth which protruded from his closed mouth and a white-grayish mane which fell down to his waist, he was huge and muscular. He reminded Ling of something akin to an ox if he were a chimera.

The next one was a slender woman, snake-like tattoos lining the length of her arm and partially her face, he wasn't sure what chimera she was but judging by the grace she exhibited while she moved and the slight hiss in her tone, it was likely she was a snake chimera.

The last one was a averaged sized male, black spiky hair on top of his head, a sharp tooth protruding from his mouth, a sword at his waist, he was dressed in ninja garb, like a warrior and his own people would dress. But he didn't look Xingese. Ling couldn't tell what chimera he could be.

And in the center of them all, stood Greed. Ling dug his blunt nails into the cobblestone, restraining himself from hugging the man that seemed so different now than his Greed.

"Well? Whatcha waiting for? Dig in gang!" Greed grinned, waving a hand at the open bag, which Ling saw was all food the lizard chimera had brought. The snake chimera smiled and brought silverware and some plates, the large ox man carried a few stools.

" _Food? They stole it? But why? Why are they here underground? Are they criminals? Hm...it wouldn't really surprise me with Greed..."_ Ling sweat dropped, thinking the possibility highly likely, yeah...it was Greed alright.

The man with black spiky hair suddenly narrowed his eyes suspiciously, his nose up in the air, sniffing and moving his head around, as if detecting a scent that didn't belong there.

"Huh? What is it Dolcetto?" Greed looked at his friend, observing how he behaved like the animal he had been bound with, a dog.

The dog chimera called Dolcetto growled lowly in his throat, a deep rumble that reminded Ling of a ferocious guard dog, "Something's not quite right boss. I smell something...something different. Bido..did anyone follow you here?" Dolcetto walked forward, looking around and Ling silently disappeared from view, discreetly smelling his clothes if he smelled bad. What the hell? He didn't smell at all! How rude!

"No Dolcetto...Bido doesn't so at least..." the small lizard chimera rubbed his hands, looking slightly fearful.

"It's alright Bido, nobody's blaming you even if someone did follow you. Perhaps it could be a master thief," Ling heard the unsheathing of a blade. He cursed mentally, hand on the hilt of his sword.

Even if it did come down to a fight, he actually wasn't even supposed to see any of them, least of all Greed. Damn it!

"Wait," Greed stretched his arm out, sunglasses tucked into his breast pocket. He had smelled the scent too, perhaps not as potently as Dolcetto, but he had smelled it nonetheless.

The unnerving thing about it was, it smelled a bit like him too. But it wasn't any of his stupid Homunculi siblings.

Dolcetto and Martel looked at him expectantly, "Boss?" the dog chimera asked, a hand on the hilt of his sword.

Greed shook his head, "Leave it, I don't think it's anything to concern ourselves over. Didn't ya want to eat huh?" Greed fixed them with a meaningful stare and the group reluctantly calmed down, sheathing their weapons and slowly sitting down on the chairs, each grabbing a portion for themselves, leaving something for their leader as well.

"Boss? Where are you going?" Dolcetto asked, eyebrow raised suspiciously, his instincts telling him to follow the man he came to know as friend and leader for protection.

"Just gonna get some fresh air, don't follow me," Greed walked into the tunnel Bido had come from, as silent as a mouse.

Ling quickly retreated, jumping silently from side to side until he was a good distance away from Greed, who stopped after being farther away enough from his gang not to hear.

"Alright...listen up, whoever the hell you are," Greed's voice echoed through the sewers and Ling froze, damn he had been found out.

"I don't know what's your deal or why you followed us here but if you want to hurt my gang ya better turn back around. I don't treat strangers kindly who try taking away whats mine," Ling speculated Greed had his shield up as he said this, a threat.

There was a short pause, before Greed spoke again, "You also smell a bit like me, but I can tell you ain't a Homunculus. Just who are you?" his words echoed through the sewers.

Then Ling decided to answer, "A friend," before he quickly started running in the opposite direction, rounding a corner just as Greed reached the spot Ling hid in previously.

"What the..." Greed growled under his breath, annoyed at not having missed his chance of seeing the punk that sneaked in her.

" _Wait...he said he was a friend? Who the hell...?"_ Greed crossed his arms, a serious, thoughtful look on his face.

For some unexplainable reason, he thought of Xing, he had no idea why that country all of a sudden, as he didn't have any ties to it at all.

"Tch..." Greed turned back around, walking back toward his hideout, "Stupid piss-ant,"

" _G-Greed...that was Greed...he seemed different but it was still Greed! I can't...damn it not now!"_ Ling furiously rubbed at his eyes, feeling himself drown in despair and sadness at the thoughts of Greed's final moments before his death.

Ling sobbed, punching the wall in front of him repeatedly, " _No matter what I do! I can't bring him back! Not through alchemy, not through time travel! It's impossible! Ed was right! You can't bring back someone from the dead!"_ he fell to his knees, his hands in his face as his tears fell in droplets to the ground.

* * *

" _Ling! Ling! Wake up Ling!"_ a soft familiar voice called him and Ling slowly stirred, his head was pounding again.

When he opened his eyes and his blurry vision cleared, he saw her.

It was his wife, Lan Fan. Her face was etched with great worry, he could see Winry, Ed and Alphonse standing behind her, Dr. Marcoh was on his other side.

He could see a cane next to him on the floor, so he must be still in his house. Wait...he hit him with a cane?! No wonder his head was pounding...

And suddenly, the tears returned to his eyes as he clutched his wife's hand, "It was all a dream...it was a dream..." despite the tears a small smile grew on his face, "It was a dream but...Greed was real..." he sat up and hugged his stunned and worried wife close to him, rubbing his face against her robes and armor, "Greed was real...that's all that matters,"

He _had_ seen Greed, the real one, he had been there all along.

Ling clutched at the place where his heart was and smiled.

Greed would continue to be there.

In his heart.

Yeah...a pretty cheesy line for the ending but meh ^^ So how did you like it? Sorry that it took me so long folks! Admittedly, I've had been more in the mood to write Letters from War and coupled with all those exams...eh. Tomorrow's my last exam before the holidays, so wish me luck! .


	78. Homunculi Children Part 2

Hello once again everyone! :) I want to thank you all again kindly for reading my stories, putting up with my crazy moods and supporting me this far to even be able to actually write so many chapters! Seriously, thank you :)

 **INFO ON CHAPTER:** So, this is the continuation of **Homunculi Children**! I hope you will all enjoy it!

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** Ugh, yeah I know, I almost teared up myself! T_T Especially since I deleted a few scenes (because I thought them unnecessary or too much for the plot) which would have made it far sadder...thank god I didn't write them .

 **OtakuGirl: (hands tissue)** It's ok my friend...it's ok...T_T

 **Bob:** Thanks Bob! I passed it good thankfully! (starts dancing)

 **Natsu:** Thanks a lot buddy! I passed it! Finally! .

 **Emma:** Hmm...interesting alternative. Believe it or not, I actually had the same idea, it was the thing I also wrote to Lily, the scenes I decided to delete because I thought they would be too sad or too much for the plot. But sure thing! Now that I know you want to read it, I'll gladly write it! :)

 **Panic:** Thank you! I passed that blasted exam finally! (relieved dancing) haaaalllelujahh, hallelujah, hallelujah, haaalleeelujah (clears throat) Ok...sorry... (fixes imaginary tie) Right, I'm ok... Thanks a lot for your opinion, I always love reading your reviews because I know you will always write something concerning the plot! ^^ haha I just like reading what I can improve or what is good so I can keep writing that way or if the chapter was good :3 Thank you for that! ;)

 **Pouda-P:** (hands tissue) Thanks man. T,T I passed the stupid exam with good marks and now I'm freeee (partly anyway) Still a lot of work to do! (sweat drop)

 **GrumpyCatWriter101:** Thank you so much, it was the last one for the semester and I passed! :3 Oh and thanks for the compliment! ^^

 **Disclaimer: As I said before, I don't own the original movie "Wolf Children" or any of its original characters**

* * *

 **Homunculi Children Part 2**

 _Every time I walked passed dad's picture on the desk, I stopped to look at it. It was funny, I knew what dad looked like, at least from the photo, but I never got to know who the man was behind it. Mom had talked fondly of him of course, but she never went into detail and we never asked. We only knew that dad didn't have the loving family we do, but the question we were afraid to ask mom was; why?_

 _School was going good for me, but Ava still had difficulties fitting in and not using her powers. Mom had said dad had liked to show off what he could do, but he refrained from showing his powers to other people. We had secretly sworn to never use our powers for evil or to harm anyone with them, but...that night..._

"Ava! Emi! Come on down, dinner is ready!" Lena called out as she placed an extra plate next to the picture of her beloved, smiling at his ever present grin.

She smiled warmly, looking out at the snow falling softly down the sky, "Merry Christmas dear..." she bent down and kissed his picture, briefly wrapping her arms around herself before she quickly straightened up when she heard the footsteps of her kids coming closer.

She was sure if he were still alive today, he would be the most doting father in the world. The fact how caring and careful he had been when they were born was proof of that, not to mention all the times he kept fussing about holding Emi and Ava when they were just babies, afraid of not holding them properly or that he would drop them. Or checking on either of them every five minutes at night to make sure they breathed properly or weren't hungry.

Lena smiled at the memory, wiping away a stray tear that managed to find its way out of her eye just as her precious daughters came running into the room. Two years passed and both her girls were 16 and 17. They were as boisterous as ever, but lately, Avaritia had changed a bit, Lena didn't think too much of it, she deemed it as a normal adolescent process or phase, but it had started to worry her.

She smiled at her daughters, patting each of them on the head affectionately as they all took a seat. She could see Ava was frowning, not being her usual boisterous self, Emi was frowning as well but she seemed more calm while a deep seated ferocity dwelled inside of Avaritia for some reason.

The family ate quietly, the tension growing thicker by the minute. Lena grabbed herself some bread before she decided to break the ice and tread on ice cold water, "Anything you would like to talk about?" she looked at her daughters, who tensed at the sudden breaking of silence.

Emilia spoke first, lowly, "I don't really feel like talking mom, sorry," she sent her mother an apologetic smile, Lena frowned in concern.

What was wrong?

She leaned a bit forward, tilting her head, "Ava dear?" her worry increased.

Ava's hands shook and Emilia tensed from beside her, "Ava what-" Lena was cut off.

"You wanna know what's wrong mom?! Is that it?! Well let me tell you! Emi keeps telling me to study and to try harder in school! What if I don't _want_ to?! What if I want to find out more about who I am? What I'm supposed to do?" Ava's eyes, her father's eyes, shone with anger.

Lena faltered, not expecting this sudden violent outburst, "A-Ava, what are you talking about? What do you mean who you are?"

She growled lowly, " _What_ am I mom?! What are _we_?! Are we Homunculi or human?! Emi keeps saying she's a normal human but I disagree! We aren't normal, our family isn't normal!" she turned her glare from her mother toward her older sister.

"Stop this nonsense! We are human and that's that! Just because we have unique abilities doesn't make us into Homunculi!" Emilia argued back, standing from her seat as well.

"Well, I'm _not_ human alright?! I'm a Homunculus and I always will be! You can't tell me what I am!" argued Avaritia, who growled sharply at her older sister, who looked ready for a fight.

"Oh really? What will everyone think? You never finished school, you didn't even attempt to make friends! You just pushed aside your humanity for what?! For being a creature that relies on a stupid _stone_ to live on?!" barked her older sister Emilia, who had a disapproving look on her face. Lena's eyes widened.

"What? Y-you dropped out of school? What are you saying?" she covered her mouth, shock written over her features.

Emilia turned briefly to regard her stunned mother, "She didn't drop out but she stopped coming to school since a week ago. She goes out training instead of studying!" spat the older sibling, looking disappointed and angry.

Avaritia's eyes glistened with tears as she shouted out her next sentence, "Dad was a Homunculus too you know! It's _his_ race you're not giving a damn about you know that?! How could you say that? You're not human either, we both aren't so stop acting like one!"

Lena stood still, shock written over her features as she tried to get a hold of her emotions and the situation. She knew this day would come, whether later or sooner it didn't matter, but she dreaded it all the same. And now it came; the day where her children would reach a certain age where they would start to choose; human or homunculus.

Her hand clenched into a fist as she observed her beloved children fight, when Emilia said, "You're so stupid! I _never_ wanted to be a Homunculus! Homunculi are evil, vile creatures who don't have any human emotions at all! I don't want to be like that, I rather be a human!" that was the last straw for Lena.

She stepped up and raised her voice to overpower the volume of both of her arguing children's, "How can you say that?" her eyes were burning, her heart clenching painfully.

She continued firmly, "How could you say all of this knowing your own father was a Homunculus? Not all Homunculi are evil dear, just like how all humans aren't kind and perfect beings. We all have flaws, we all fail, we all make mistakes, but it doesn't mean one race is better than the other, it doesn't mean one person is better than the other. Whether we are humans or not, we make mistakes and we learn from them. Your father was one of a kind...he opposed his siblings who lived to harm humans and wreak havoc, he ran away from his only family to live his life in seclusion, until I found him one day. He was deathly afraid of telling me what he was, but when he had saved me from a car accident and his injuries had healed right away before my very eyes, I knew his carefully guarded secret." She paused, collecting her thoughts, taking in the stunned expressions of her daughters.

"Mom..." both whispered quietly, astonished. Their mother was very kind and gentle, she rarely raised her voice at them, only when it was absolutely necessary.

"I accepted him and grew to love him despite what he was, despite him being different. He moved to live with me in my apartment in the city instead of out in the forest or the secluded, abandoned buildings he usually lived in. He adapted to life and got a job, he worked hard to bring food on the table, he did long night shifts when I was pregnant with you to make sure we would have everything we needed."

Emotions overwhelmed her as she spoke of her beloved, late husband, "Would you call such a person a monster? A vile creature? You see, despite what he was he...was a good man. He was so very happy when you were born, he called you his princesses. When I was too tired he would always wake up and hold you in his arms so long until you fell asleep and stopped crying...even if it took the whole night. He was so caring, he was a loudmouth at times but he was a gentleman with me, he was rude but he never disrespected me, he cared for me, for us, for the life we led...do you intend to throw all of this away? Just like that? I know for certain your father wouldn't have been happy if he were here right now. He would want you not to fight and choose whatever made you happy, I know I do," Lena finished with teary eyes, smiling warmly down at her daughters.

The two girls blinked slowly, taking in their mother's words to heart. Homunculi weren't evil or at least didn't have to be, their own father hadn't been at least.

Their father, who himself had been a Homunculus, hadn't been evil.

Emilia and Avaritia looked at each-other long and hard, their expressions unreadable for a moment.

However, when their mother spoke again, it seemed like she wasn't done talking just yet, "Besides...you said Homunculi couldn't possibly have human emotions, then...how did you come to be? Your father and I loved each-other very much, we were happy beyond belief when we found out we were pregnant. It had been a great relief to both of us, especially since his father made him believe Homunculi were incapable of reproducing. You didn't see the way your father looked at you after I gave birth to you...I've never seen him so happy and content, relaxed...the sadness that used to be in his eyes had faded, his loneliness had faded." A bittersweet smile stretched across Lena's face, her gaze looking away from her daughters. She kneeled down, placing a calming hand on each of her daughters backs, "Listen Emi, Ava, I know we aren't a normal family, I know your life was and will continue to be difficult, but please... please promise me you will stay together and support each-other? No matter what? No matter who chooses what life to live, because in the end we only have each-other," she rested her forehead against her daughters own, squeezing their shoulders.

Heavy silence fell over the small family, the soft falling of the snow and supper all but forgotten. The picture of Greed was illuminated by the soft light, as if wanting to say everything would be alright.

Slowly, Ava started to cry, releasing all the tears she had wanted to shed as she hugged her mother tightly, kissing her cheek in apology. Emilia did the same, nuzzling the side of her head and lovingly kissing her cheek, sobbing into her shoulder.

Lena's eyes filled to the brim with tears, she closed them, hugging her daughters closer to her, "Oh my little girls...what would I do without you..." the family of three sat there on the floor, content to be in each-other's warm embrace to heal.

 _It was the first of many more nights where we talked of what the future would hold for us, mom had tried researching as much as she could, but like in the past, she couldn't find any written documents on Homunculi or creatures remotely similar. Even if all seemed lost, mom didn't give up hope, she stayed up late at night to make her own notes and try to think of what would be best for us, in what schools to enroll, college, our further education...how our powers would affect our life..._

 _But that had also been the last time we were ever so disrespectful to our mother and father, back then we didn't know the full story, but mom told it to us a day later. How dad and her met, how he told her what his life had looked like, being on the side of his family for a little while before he quickly realized it hadn't been a life he wanted to live. So he left and he had been chased by his own siblings. Mom told us how one of them, the sin of Wrath, had come to get him when they were together and mom was pregnant with me. Dad had grown angry, transferring his shield onto mom to protect her and covering himself with it fully, dad said Wrath had been a very powerful Homunculus, nearly the strongest and by far deadliest. But what dad hadn't known then, Wrath had a family he needed to protect too. Wrath had left the family just two years after dad did, he met a woman and had adopted a child, Selim Bradley, who dad discovered was in fact another one of his siblings, Pride. They shared the relationship of father and son, rather than of siblings, but it worked for them. Wrath had come not to hurt dad or mom, but to warn them of Father's plans. How he intended to destroy humanity, so dad left for a short while and after he returned, unscathed mom had never been happier._

 _We thought dad had been the only one left back then, but that day we knew the full story. How dad and the others fought their father, their creator to protect the ones they loved. They succeeded in the end but not without a price to pay. It was two days after Ava was born that men had come to take dad away, mom knew they would kill him if he went with them. But he told her it was alright, because he was finally able to satiate his ever growing avarice inside of him._

 _He had the chance to have a loving family of his own and experience the joys of life he could only ever dream of. Mom said dad was smiling as he left. When we asked why, mom said it was because he had nothing to lose because we were ok._

* * *

Lena smiled, "Are you sure?" she was holding flowers in her hands.

Ava grinned widely, nodding, "Yeah I'm sure mom." She smiled and looked down at the gravestone where her father rested, it wasn't much but a symbol that he had walked this earth and did good before he departed.

"Alright then...you know I love you and I wish you the best of luck, you can always come to me if you need anything at all," she hugged her adult daughter of 24 years tightly, before she let her go and placed the white lilies in front of the stone.

Avaritia smiled softly, affectionately patting the stone and placing a single red rose in the middle of the bouquet of white lilies, "Take care dad and I hope I made ya proud," she grinned.

"Mom...thank you for everything..." she wiped a tear away and hugged her mother again, the tightest hug she ever gave.

Lena nodded and smiled, "Of course dear, of course. Remember to call at least a few times a month so I know you're doing fine," Ava grinned widely, nodding and walking in the opposite direction, toward the landscape.

She waved at her mother who laughed and waved back, Ava had decided to live in a village for a while, perhaps in the woods and make herself her own cottage, before traveling the world and exploring everything and anything she could.

 _As for me...well...I found what I was looking for in life I guess._

Emilia had finished school and studied at the university of Oxford, succeeding with top marks and working with high class scientists on improving the economical and social state of poor countries around the world, she often traveled to these countries to see for herself what could be improved, she often liked to interact with people there, actively helping them and constantly thinking of new ways to improve the understanding of other people on these countries and their needs.

And Lena...she enjoyed spending her time in Resembool, interacting with her friends and neighbors, building a garage for herself, learning new things each and every day and involving herself in the board to listen to what the people of her village and other neighboring villages wanted and she did her best to follow through.

But she enjoyed her freedom, the freedom her husband himself had always longed to experience. She enjoyed spending her final days with him at her side. She died peacefully, her daughters and their families gathered together and the picture of her beloved securely tucked in her arms.

* * *

"Greed...? Is that...you?" Lena slowly blinked, trying to get used to the suddenly bright light. When she looked down at herself, she was young again, the same age where she met Greed.

The man himself grinned at her, just a few steps away from her, "Hey there sweetheart, missed me?" she launched herself at him, laughing.

"Of course I did you fool!" she hit his arm and laughed, hugging and kissing him. He returned the gesture, kissing her like a thirsty man longed for water.

"You did such a damn wonderful job...with the kids...with everything..." he nuzzled her face, grinning.

She smiled, rubbing his cheeks, "Oh I was terrible...but we pulled through, right?" he chuckled and nodded.

"You sure did...you sure did..." Greed whispered.

* * *

He shut the book closed, waterfall tears running down his face in rapid streams, "Oh my god! That was such a sad but wonderful story! Greed you cheesy man! Come and hug me brother!" Ling shot up from his chair, arms spread out wide to hug his brother.

"What the-?! Get the hell away from me! That's my badass life you've been reading there!" he shoved the prince off.

Lena sighed, "Hey...stop calling my husband cheesy...he only allows me to call him that," she winked, smirking. Greed rolled his eyes, kissing her cheek.

Ling wiped at his tears but they still kept coming, "That was...such a..good story! Lena you're a master writer! I bow before thee! I VOTE FOR CHEESINESS!" Ling bowed rapidly, knees on the floor and hands clasped together.

Lena giggled, smiling, "Yeah well...I had some help," she looked meaningfully at Greed.

He grinned like a Cheshire cat, "Not to mention, these two troublemakers," he gestured to his two daughters which were glued to his legs, chuckling he picked them up in his arms, they were both watching him innocently and sucking on their thumbs.

Lena laughed and caressed their soft, chubby baby cheeks affectionately, "Mhm...who knows what the future will bring huh?" Greed nodded, smiling at the family he had now.

"Still...I'm the better parent," Greed grinned widely before Lena jabbed him in the ribs sharply, "Alright, alright... _we_ are badass parents,"

Lena smiled.

 **Phew...yeah...I don't know what's wrong with me...these cheesy endings...meh ^,^** So how did you guys like it? What did you like? Should I change it? Improve something in general on my writing? Would you guys like for me to try for a different writing style?


	79. The Interview with Lena

**Hey everyone! I'm on a roll! ^^**

 **NOTE: CHRISTMAS SPECIALS WILL FOLLOW FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND THE NORMAL REQUESTS WILL BE PUT ON HOLD! But feel free to write more ideas if you like! ;)**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** Aw thanks! I thought the ending was too cheesy! :3

 **Penguin20:** Good idea! Christmas specials will follow for the next few days and the normal requests/ideas will be temporarily put on hold!

 **Emma:** Thank you ^^

 **GrumpyCatWriter101:** hahah Thank you lots! :3 I'm glad it wasn't a flop XD Sure thing! Anything in particular you would like or could it be anywhere at any point of time but just romantic and with Greed's perspective? Or should it be a specific / special moment between those two? ^_^

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Interview with Lena**

 **Q: Why do you love your children?**

Lena smiled and giggled, "Do I need a reason to love them? I think the best reason parents can have to love their children is no reason at all," she laughed again at the dumbfounded look on the reporters face.

 **Q: Why do you love your husband?**

Lena smirked mischievously, "Oh...uhh...can I skip that question?" The reported blinked in confusion and mild shock.

"Um...I am sorry but you will need to answer every question in order to continue," he nervously readjusted his tie.

Lena rolled her eyes, "Because he has food," she said simply, calmly observing how both Greed and the reporter fell to the ground in shock.

 **Q: When was the first time you met your husband?**

Lena:" Oh, that was a while back. Um...well on our first meeting he wanted to kidnap a girl from Xing who knew Alkahestry. I was pissed at him for trying that so I wanted to beat him up," she smiled sweetly, the reporter ordered his third cup of strong coffee.

 **Q: So, Edward Elric is your friend?**

Lena smiled, "Yeah he is, Ed and I know each-other for quite some time as well as his brother Al. They are one of my best friends,"

 **Q: What do you do in order to make your husband happy?**

Lena snorted, "I give him food...and uhh...Oh yeah, I guess I kiss him from time to time too," she grinned broadly, amused at Greed's half amused, half shocked expression. She winked at him.

 **Q: How comes you wield a old weapon such as the Hsu Quandao?**

Lena:" _Finally_ some interesting questions! Ahem, right, well I prefer swords and spears instead of guns and other firearms to be honest. Also, the Quandao has a weight attached at its end, the blade, sometimes a counterweight is added as a balance but I bought the one without a extra weight so that I can train better. I like how it feels in my hands and I can maneuver easier with it, also, you don't have to engage your enemies in close combat if you aren't a close range fighter, so you always keep a safe distance away. And...it hurts pretty damn bad if you hit somebody on the head with it." The wide grin on her face caused the reporter to sweat.

 **Q: What would you say, what would your husband's browser history look like?**

Lena grinned and snorted, crossing her arms, counting off on her fingers, "Ah, his browser history...let's see..."sexy and I know it", "how to find out how hot you are", "where to get coupons and save up money", "badass names for my daughter", "female form of the name 'Greed'", "how to be a good husband", "how to murder your friend without going to jail", "how to hide the dead body", "how to kick someone's ass all the way back to Xing", "alchemical formulas to harden carbon", "hottest couple of the year in Amestris", "Lena & Greed – hottest couple of the year" oh and I guess "partner look Xingese clothes".

 **Q: Tell me something about the relationship with your parents.**

Lena faltered for a moment, not expecting that question, "Oh, my parents huh...well...my dad lives near Resembool actually, on the other side of the town, we used to have a decently sized farm until we moved a couple of times and lastly he returned to living there in the old house. My dad's really kind and nice, we used to go hiking in the woods often when I was a child, he would also teach me how to wield a few weapons before I left on my journey in case I encounter some trouble, it was him who gifted me the Quandao in the first place." A fond look grew on Lena's face and Greed smiled.

 **Q: Ah, I see. What about your mother?**

Lena tensed and Greed noticed the notion immediately, "My mother huh? Uh...well," she scratched her cheek, "Many people say I inherited my traits from my father, I don't know my mother that well, since she left us when I was fairly young. But I remember she never approved when I said I would like to explore the world someday and learn alchemy like those other famous alchemists, I had been...eight at that time? Something like that. Dad used to secretly buy me alchemy books and I secretly studied in the shed or sat below the willow when the days were warm. My mother left dad for some high upperclassman, a nobleman of some sort, she said something about finally being able living the life of luxury she always wanted."

 **Q: Are you angry with your mother for leaving you?**

The young woman smiled dryly, shaking her head, "Angry? Nah, not really, at least I never thought about it too much, I had my own stuff to do you know? Exploring new places, making friends, learning languages...etc. I didn't have the time nor the interest to think about her. Though I did meet her once while I was traveling, it was in Leore I think. She was at the bar chatting with some man, she didn't seem to recognize me, but after I finished off some thieves that tried to steal from me with my Quandao, she seemed to recognize dad's techniques. She approached me and asked me if I were her daughter," Lena giggled, "I remember how I snorted as loud as I could and told her I were none other than my father's daughter. Then I left," she grinned, "I don't bear a grudge, that's not my thing really. She never said she despised us, just that she took the wrong turn in life, but she never said she regretted that 'wrong turn'. I can't say I love her but I also can't say I despise her," Greed rubbed her shoulder, glaring daggers at the reporter who seemed deathly afraid of him.

 **Q: R-right, next question! It's well known that you are closely acquainted with the Emperor of Xing and his wife?**

Lena smiled, "Mhm, I sure am! Everyone is like a big, at times dysfunctional but happy family. I met Ling after he had gotten separated by Greed, he was pretty funny because I used to think he had an aversion towards using doors," Greed crossed his arms and laughed, "Yeah...but I really liked him since his aim to become Emperor wasn't to take over the world," she looked at Greed, who looked away sheepishly, "But to protect his people and bring order in his country, like annulling the concubine system. I heard it came with much protest, but Lan Fan had taken care of that. She's a really good friend and I kept teasing them before they were together that I would lock them up in a room and they should make babies," Lena grinned wickedly, Greed scooted away a bit and shook his head at the reporter.

 **Q: Alright, this is the last question for today. If you had the chance to go back in time, would you change anything? And if yes, what?**

Lena blinked in surprise, before she burst out laughing, "You know...you just breached an important alchemy rule. Time travelling is impossible, it defies any and all laws of alchemy. If you do dare to break one of alchemy's sacred laws, are you prepared to face the wrath of Truth?"

Reporter: "T-Truth?" he blinked, fear creeping into his bones.

The spear wielder grinned widely, darkly, "Yeah, my old buddy Truth. But you know what they saw, _anyone_ who meets Truth suffers the direst of consequences." She moved closer to the reporter, the room suddenly growing dark and cold, "You could lose...all your internal organs," she poked the reporter in his belly, who jumped and squeaked in fear, "He may take one of your limbs...an arm, a leg...maybe even your head," she made a show of strangling herself, "Or maybe..." her eyes darkened, "He would take your heart and devour it before you-"

Reporter:" GET ME OUT OF THIS HELL HOLE! ARGHHH!" the man never ran as fast in his life as he did then, breaking the door off its hinges and leaving a comically dusty trail in his wake as he ran for dear life back to town.

Lena stepped over the splinters that remained of the door and looked after the runaway reporter with an amused grin, she looked up, "Sorry there Truth, you ain't so bad though," she made a fist her hand and fist bumped the air, as if literally giving Truth the so called 'brofist'. Greed shook his head.

"Greed honey, the door is broken again," Greed groaned in exasperation.

Oh yeah, Lena loved her life as it is now.

* * *

 **A bit of randomness ^^ If you have any questions for ANY characters of FMA Brotherhood though, feel free to write them down and I'll write another chapter similar to this one! :)**


	80. Hello Handsome Stranger!

**I'm back, far quicker than I expected to be honest. Lol Nonetheless, I hope you all enjoy my stories as much as I love writing them!**

 **INFO ON CHAPTER:** I drew inspiration for this chapter from a fic I read a long time ago, I'm not sure which fandom I read about but I think it was something with Naruto (particularly Kiba) or so, I'm not sure, but I've got a similar idea stuck in my head for the past two weeks so why not! Oh I should mention, in this fic Lena is married to a "different" guy. ;) You will find out soon enough! WARNING: Bits and pieces of humor, sarcasm and sass ahead! ;)

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Hello Handsome Stranger!**

The woman at the bar smiled politely at the bartender when he brought her, her glass of water. It had been a while since she visited such a place, nonetheless she was thrilled for what the evening had in store for her.

Especially since a certain husband of hers had no idea where she currently was, the greedy bastard thought she were having a girl's night at the Elric's place. Ha.

She turned a page in her book, hazel eyes lightened up when she read a interesting part that prolonged the investigation and made it harder for the detectives in the story to find out who the real killer was, she chuckled quietly when the lead inspector thought the pope had poisoned one of the nuns. Little did the inspector know he actually did, she had read that book a couple of times already. It was entertaining to see how religion and the morals of different people clashed for the sake of the investigation.

She turned another page before her whole body suddenly stiffened, only slightly, beneath her form fitting dress. It was something she usually was a bit hesitant to wear, since she herself wasn't one for form fitting clothes in the first place. But since tonight was a special occasion, she was going all out. She was a stunning view in the form fitting, but not too tight, red and black dress, with a slit up until her thigh, exposing one trained leg crossed over the other.

She briefly glanced at the entrance to the bar and found the reason why she suddenly shivered, of course. There stood a tall, devilishly handsome man.

The epitome of "tall, dark and handsome" many women would surely agree with her. Discreetly, she pretended to read her book while giving the man a once over.

He was tall, his black hair styled in a low pony tail, he wore a form fitting Xingese shirt and simple pants. His features were handsome, looking a bit Xingese, spikes at the top of his head falling to one side of his face, but not obscuring it.

The one feature she noticed the minute he raised his hand to run it through his hair; he wore no ring. She grinned, slightly red painted lips touching the rim of her glass and sipping contently, watching the handsome man from the corner of her eye.

He looked in her direction quickly, assessing her briefly before he made his way to a table at the back, his walk was confident, as if he owned this bar. Cocky, some might say, but it appealed slightly to her.

She noticed the bartender looking at the front and deduced the stranger had probably called for a drink. She smiled, grin in place.

* * *

Many women swooned at him, sitting there dressed in a form fitting xingese shirt and dark coat, the subtle power that strained against his clothes suggested he worked out often and took good care of his body. Tantalizing, unusual violet eyes scanning the crowd with disinterest, until settling on a particular woman sitting at the bar, roaming over her figure.

He smirked, swishing the liquid in his glass, scotch, "Well, hello there handsome," a gorgeous, skimpily dressed blonde woman sat suddenly in his line of vision, blocking his view of the other woman at the bar.

Greed frowned but played it cool, "Hello" was his short reply.

The woman giggled and leaned forward, pushing her exposed cleavage out, "I haven't see you around here," her blue eyes practically stripped him bare when he felt her gaze rove over him, he rolled his eyes and ignored the shudder of disgust that threatened to come over him.

The woman however didn't give up, "New in town?" the question was so cliché it made him want to stick a sticky note on top of her forehead reading " _WARNING: BORING DON'T APPROACH OR YOU'LL REGRET IT!"_

Greed answered nonetheless, "No, this ain't usually my style," the blonde curiously rose a thin eyebrow in question.

"Oh? What is?" she tilted her head, licking her red lips that looked like she went under the knife or injection to make them look like the ass of a chimpanzee...or the fat lips of a monkey, whatever people wanted to compare it to.

This time, Greed looked directly at her, a crooked grin forming on his handsome, sharp features, "Cheating at my wife. The bitch is probably sitting at home and watching TV, stuffing her mouth full," the woman giggled all too seductively, the tip of her bright red stiletto's rubbing suggestively against Greed's leg.

He frowned, she licked her lips:" So...do you want to go somewhere more...private?" she winked, biting her painted lips.

Greed couldn't help but snort, "Sorry, not interested," he looked over the annoying woman's shoulder over to the one sitting at the bar.

She followed his gaze and smirked like a Cheshire cat, "You know...I don't mind if she joins in," Greed couldn't help but bite the inside of his cheek to suppress his laughter. Oh this bitch may not mind but he knew a woman who most certainly would.

He waved his hand nonchalantly," Sorry, no can do. Now scram," violet eyes flashed in warning, the tooth, dark grin he sent her made as a clear warning to back off.

She scoffed aghast and stood up, strutting away and whipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.

Greed rolled his eyes, shaking his head in amusement when he saw the woman at the bar, how her shoulders shook slightly **(A/N: She's laughing btw xd)** and he chuckled quietly.

Suddenly, he heard a deep, familiar voice call out in surprise, " ** _Greed_**?" Greed froze, his scotch poised at his lips when he slowly turned his head. Greed cursed the seven hells, the whole fucking 8 planets he knew of and each and every shooting star that didn't hit Mustang tonight on the head.

None other than Roy Mustang stood there, looking very surprised at encountering Greed here. He took a seat in front of him, "This is Ling," Greed droned but Roy snorted in complete disbelief.

He countered sarcastically, "And I'm the Emperor of Xing, you have separate bodies now need I remind you," Greed cursed under his breath, he cursed Ling too, "Care to explain what you are doing...here?" Roy's dark eyes swiped over the bar, raising an eyebrow in question.

Not one to be outdone, Greed fired back, "I could ask you the same thing... _General_?"

Roy bristled at the stressed out word and the heavy accusation dripping from his tone, "I had a important meeting with one of my aunt's informants, I informed them when it would be safe for her to come out of hiding," Greed nodded, he believed the man. He may be a pervert but the man was as loyal as a dog not to mention attached to his wife like monkeys to bananas.

Roy frowned, his brow creasing, "So...what are _you_ doing here?" dark eyes narrowed at the Homunculus.

"Can't a man hang out in a bar every once and a while?" Roy's eyes scanned Greed's form until they widened when he saw the absence of a ring.

"What the-?! Your ring! It's missing! Where the hell is your ring Greed?!" Roy asked in a panicked, hushed tone as if he frightened to be figured out by people of the government for sharing secrets of said government.

The Homunculus grit his teeth in severe annoyance, "Listen up Mustang I-" Greed's gaze moved to the woman at the bar and Roy followed it, the General gasped.

"You are _cheating_ on your wife?! Your family?! You have two wonderful girls you bastard! I knew you were a backstabbing, lousy, greedy little-" Roy's fingers itched to snap and ignite the poor fool in flames like a and make him shine like a Christmas tree.

Greed growled and grabbed Roy by his collar, "Would you shut up?! _That_ _ **is**_ my wife you moron!" Greed rubbed his forehead, feeling his patience running thin.

Roy whirled around in his chair and spotted the woman sitting at the bar, he whirled back around towards Greed and said seriously, "No,"

Greed rolled his eyes, "Are you bli-well can't ya look better?!" Roy frowned at the slip-up before he looked at the woman again.

He turned back toward Greed, a blank look on his face, "I don't see it," again, Greed rolled his eyes.

"Hey, my wife may be a bit of a tomboy, but she's the most gorgeous woman you'll ever meet!" he sent Mustang a dark look. Mustang wanted to argue, thinking of his own badass and amazing wife, but at the look Greed gave him he thought otherwise.

Roy leaned in, whispering quietly, "So tell me...what the hell is this? Spicing up your sex life or what? Don't you people have anything better to do? Where are Ava and Emi anyway?" Roy blinked, perplexed.

Greed sighed in exasperation, leaning his elbows on the small coffee table, "The kids are at Ling's and yeah don't ask, I know it was a bad idea but Lena insisted they would be fine. Thankfully Lan Fan is there too," he shook his head.

Roy ran a hand over his face, looking discreetly back at the woman at the bar, "Gotta say, she's a real looker when she wants to be," he grinned innocently, knowing he was riling up Greed that way.

The Homunculus frowned darkly, "Don't you have a home? Go home Mustang," he barked at him like a angry dog.

The General chuckled, adjusting his coat, "Alright, alright, just uh...have fun?" he smiled awkwardly and quickly left the bar. Greed rubbed his forehead, fighting down the headache that threatened to split his skull apart after that awkward and shitty talk.

Violet eyes immediately returned to the woman at the bar, who was obviously being hit on by some guy. The glass in his hand stood no chance of surviving his tight grip.

* * *

"Hello there pretty lady," a rather attractive man with brown messy hair and electric blue eyes approached Lena at the bar, smiling kindly at her. She stopped reading and looked at him, smiling back politely, "Hello there handsome stranger," she giggled when he scratched the back of his neck cutely.

He leaned against the bar coolly, electric blue eyes staring into her brown ones, "I haven't seen you around here, would have noticed such a diamond in the rough," Lena smiled, blushing at the genuine compliment, judging by the shy redness on his cheeks it seemed the man wasn't one for such locations, much like her.

She shot back with a pleasant smile, "Well, I haven't seen you around here too, granted I don't come here often. Not really my style," she winked.

The man let out a deep chuckle, "Same here, I like it more classy." He looked at the glass of water in her hands, "Um, would you be up for a drink? Your pick, I pay," he smiled, he was cute.

Lena smiled kindly and nodded, "Thank you, nobody paid drinks for me before but thank you," it was a lie. Her husband paid whatever for her even despite her vehement protests.

Greed clicked his tongue in severe annoyance.

Lena ordered a alcohol free beverage, the man did the same to her surprise, she half-joked, "And I thought you were intent on getting me drunk," she smiled over the rim of her glass.

Greed broke his second glass.

Mr. Cute chuckled, "I prefer winning a woman's heart with charm and wit rather than tricks, thank you," he winked, his rich, deep voice sounding pleasant in her ears.

She couldn't help but giggle and the man's eyes were drawn to her book, "Ah, a cultured woman I see," he smiled, gesturing to her book.

She blushed in embarrassment, her tone shy, "If you call a crime book cultured..." after a split second silence they both laughed and he raised his glass, "I'm all for it," he countered, she laughed and smiled.

Somewhere in the distance, she heard something breaking, perhaps glass, she resisted the urge to look, solely concentrating on the man before her, "So, what do you do?" she regarded him with curiosity.

"I work as a blacksmith at the forge, I know it's a pretty old occupation but it works for me, I inherited the place after dad died so I run it now," he had a fond look, he was obviously pleased with his job.

Lena smiled fondly, "I'm sorry about your father, but it sounds nice to be a blacksmith."

He nodded, nursing his drink before answering her, "Don't worry about it, he died long ago. And yeah, it's nice and it pays well surprisingly. I have some funny customers too at times, just recently a woman, who was a pretty well known mechanic, I think her name was..Elric? Something like that. Anyway, she spotted my forge and ran towards me to show me some of her automail, I was really amazed by her work but then her husband came and dragged her off. He told her something about being a automail freak and that she shouldn't pester people. They were pretty funny," he chuckled at the memory.

Lena laughed but inwardly she shook her head, she could only imagine how _that_ encounter with the famous couple went with their usual banters.

"Anyway, what do you do?" he asked her curiously, sipping his drink casually.

Lena thought quickly on her feet, "Oh me? I meet handsome strangers, get them drunk, haul them in a sack and kill them torturously," she smiled widely and warmly, as if she hadn't just said those words.

Mr. Cute faltered before he started to laugh hard, Lena laughed with him, "Really? Well, I would gladly let you if it means getting stuffed in a sack," he winked, chuckling.

Lena felt a pang in her heart and she smiled a weak smile, she leaned in a bit and whispered to him, "Hey, please don't get me wrong but I really enjoyed your company, honestly, you would make a woman pretty happy one day but..." discreetly, she grabbed her ring she stored in her purse and showed it to him, his eyes widened.

"Oh..." he looked bashful now, ashamed and nervous, "Uh, I-I'm sorry, I didn't-" he held his hands up.

Lena quickly reassured him, "No, no, no it's ok really! Don't worry, I'm not cheating on my husband or anything. It's just uh, we uh, we are just playing a game! You know, like pretending we are strangers and stuff! I'm really sorry if I led you on honestly, I really hope I didn't hurt your feelings," her eyes were apologetic, perhaps that's why he didn't feel angry at being led on.

"Nah, it's alright really," he smiled, harboring no hard feelings, "But uh...say where is your husband? Is he _here_?" he arched a brow.

"You see a tall, dark, handsome male that looks like he could kill you and could actually kill you?" almost fearfully, the man looked around and sure enough, there sat a man clad in a dark coat, glaring daggers at where he sat with Lena, broken glass on the table and a half shattered glass in his hand, his teeth looked sharp...his eyes looked pretty scary too...

"Uh huh..." the man said dazed, feeling a chill run down his spine.

Lena shook her head, "Yeah...that's him," she couldn't hide the twinge of pride she felt at showing people her husband, heh.

"Well, I better get going then so he doesn't think he's got competition?" the man asked but laughed it off, not seeming afraid. Lena giggled and smiled.

"Thank you and...I'm sorry about that, if I had never met that lovable idiot and if we met at a different time...hell I would definitely go out with you," she blushed and smiled.

He blushed and smiled back, "Thank you the same goes for you little lady," he grinned a boyish grin and waved, she shook her head and waved back as he went out.

* * *

The sixth glass.

That's it.

Greed got up from his stool as calmly as he could and strolled straight toward the bar, boldly, he sat down on the stool that guy had been preoccupying moments before and grinned roguishly at the woman before him, "Hey there sweets,"

Lena stared at him with a blank expression, "Hi," she turned back to her book, Greed smirked.

"You don't look like you come here often," his eyes roamed over her figure and he grinned like a fox when he noticed the subtle shiver.

"And you don't look like you do this often," she countered back sassily, fighting down the smirk that threatened to split her face.

Greed leaned back, challenge accepted, "Touché, though you don't look like a pro either," he grinned a toothy grin.

"I'm actually married so it's been a while since I last went out," her eyes were still on her book.

Greed arched an eyebrow in curiosity, "Married huh? Yeah, I'm doing the same thing, the old hag is sitting at home and probably stuffing her mouth full," he rolled his eyes, a lazy smirk on his features.

Lena bristled slightly, but smiled when she looked at him, "Ugh, trust me I know the feeling. My idiot, good-for-nothing husband is at home and just sleeps, eats and goes on my nerves. God, the sex went downhill so rapidly," she rolled her eyes, snickering.

Greed leaned forward, violet eyes flashing, "You don't say, the same thing happened to me. My wife's like a damn fish in bed, tch," he winked and grinned, revealing sharp teeth.

Lena leaned forward as well, book closed and forgotten for the moment, "A fish huh? How rude," she chided playfully.

Greed shrugged, "She's the one that keeps telling people I'm a good-for-nothing husband so..."

Both remained silent, her hand on his thigh and his hand on her hip.

Lena bit her lip and looked up at Greed, he looked down at her, his eyes appeared to be darker.

"Out?" he asked.

"Out," she said.

They were faster out of there than the poor sod at the bar could empty his stomach of its contents.

* * *

"So, idiot husband huh?" Greed whispered into her ear as he ripped the dress of off her, his ring shone in the dim light.

Lena giggled in his ear, sending shivers down his spine, "Old hag? _Stuffing my mouth full_?" she wrapped her arms around his neck, eyebrow raised.

He rolled his eyes, "Hey...you said the sex wasn't good," he grinned.

She shivered, "Y-you called me a cold fish in bed," she trailed her nails down his bare chest, her own ring catching the light on her ring finger.

Greed growled and hoisted her up, "You know I never lie bab-" Lena punched him on the head, "Alright, alright, I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Sheesh," she smiled and rubbed his head affectionately.

Greed smiled and shut the door behind him in their home.

What do you guys say? Should I write fics like these more or not? Honest opinions please! :3 I won't get offended if not, I suck at lemons /smutty fics (sweat drop)


	81. My Gift to You Part 1

**Hey everyone I'm back!** I'm so sorry for the delays, I've been busy with holidays and clearing my assignments its been crazy! . (bows repeatedly) Please forgive me! I'll binge-write a few Christmas one shots! Pinky promise! ;)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **OtakuGirl:** Hey there! Thank you so much, yeah I've baked a lot and had fun too ^^ (well aside from writing notes for future exams but meh :3)

 **Anonymous J:** Oh I can sing you a song about that (sweat drop) haha thanks friend :) I'm really glad when people enjoy my stories or can relate to some of them it always makes me happy and inspires me to write more. Thank you for the nice congrats I'm so glad I passed them! T_T haha Nah, I like reading longer reviews, makes me feel like all these 80+ chapters have been worth the effort! ;)

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** Thanks a lot! :) That's okay, haha I just wanted to know if there was enough interest for me to consider writing smut separately, never really had the initiative before but I thought maybe to change my writing style a bit and try new ones for a change (except lemons...oh geez I think I would suck at those like a pro XD)

 **Cassey:** Thanks buddy! I hope you had a merry Christmas too! Sorry for the late wishes! T.T

 **Panic:** Thanks so much bud! ^^ I thought I messed up the chapter, since I wrote that at...1 in the morning? Something like that, couldn't really sleep (sweat drop) eheh... haha Yeah, I had that idea for a while and originally I thought to write it with Ed and Winry but then I thought Greed and Lena would fit the scene a bit more. Yeah, I just had to include Mustang in there lol. Aw yeah, I liked Mr. Cute too *,* haha I had intended for Greed to storm up to him and act all possessive but then I brushed off the idea and wrote it differently. Thanks! Merry Christmas to you too if you celebrate! :3 BTW: sorry for the long reply! Eheh (embarrassed giggle)

 **CrazyCat:** No worries! :) Life tends to get in the way far too much ^^ ah Greedling and Lan Fan, sure thing! :D As soon as I write a couple of requests and some of my own ideas (which I've been dying for to write xd) I'll write a few Greeling X Lan Fan one shots. :)

 **GrumpyCatWriter101:** Thank you sooo much! :3 (cyber hug) haha Nah it's not that I don't like to write them, I enjoy writing (or at least trying lol) a bit smutty/fluffy fics (that had been my first attempt at a bit of a smutty fic XD) but I think I would suck at smutty fics and lemons . I would like to try though if there is enough interest in the idea haha. Oh thank you again! But honestly, without you precious readers, I know I would have never gotten till 80 chapters that's for sure, which is why I cherish reviews far more than favorites or follows :) Merry Christmas! :3

* * *

 **My Gift to You - Part 1**

"So, how do you play it?" Roy scratched his head, adjusting the red Santa hat on top of it.

Winry smiled and presented a bowl to her friends, "It's called Secret Santa. It's simple really, all we need to do is write our names on a piece of paper, we toss them in here and mix it up, then each of us has to take out a piece of paper. You have to gift the person you got something," she held the bowl out, throwing her own written name inside of it.

"Hm, interesting, I have never played it either," Riza commented, "I suppose we were too busy growing up too fast huh?" she smiled at her husband.

Roy chuckled, "Yeah, I guess so," he smiled tenderly at her, rubbing the back of his neck after he placed his own piece of paper inside the bowl.

"This is stupid," Greed muttered, arms crossed over his chest stubbornly, a scowl on his face with the white fluffy ball attached to his Christmas hat dangling in front of his face.

Lena giggled behind her hand, placing her name into the bowl, "C'mon you party pooper, cheer up. It's Christmas after all you know?" she smiled brightly at him, attempting to cheer her boyfriend up.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, Lena rolled her eyes and quickly wrote his name on a piece of paper before putting it in the bowl Winry held out for her. The blonde mechanic smiled when she made sure she had all the names in it.

She placed one hand over the bowl to cover the entrance and keep the papers from spilling out as she shook it roughly a couple of times, everyone leaned in to watch in anticipation.

Winry decided to choose first, she didn't fish around much and quickly pulled out a name, briefly looking at it. She smirked, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Ed rose an eyebrow, curious to whom she got.

Next came up Roy, who covered his face with one hand and blindly stretched his other out, Winry giggled, "You don't have to close your eyes," the General grinned sheepishly before he fished around for a brief moment.

Roy's eyes widened when he read the name on the paper, dramatically he covered his face with his arm and started sobbing hysterically, Riza comfortingly patted him on the back, "It's alright dear,"

"Somebody must hate me out there!" Roy sobbed like a child, devastated to whom he got.

Riza smiled and rolled her eyes at her husband's antics before she chose next, when she saw whom she got, she chuckled and tucked it safely into her pocket.

Next came up Ed, who sighed and shoved his hand into the bowl, messily moving his hand and hoping he wouldn't get Ling, or worse Roy. If he did get Ling, he would buy the man a book on how to use doors. And if he did get that flamethrower, he would buy him fireproof Hello Kitty themed underwear in case he decided to get adventurous in the bedroom. Maybe he should buy a fireproof suit for Riza to wear as protection...

Finally, after Winry's heated glare, Ed triumphantly held out the folded piece of paper in the air, laughing, "Ha! Gotcha! Now let's see whom I-" when he unfolded it, shying away from curious eyes, his own golden gaze widened in surprise.

He resisted the urge to look in her direction, pocketing his chosen safely and whistling innocently. In his mind, he was carefully calculating on what to get her, he compared his ideas to what she liked and was interested in but came up empty handed. He could get her alchemy books but...he shook his head, he would think about that later.

Mei seemed especially excited, nearly bouncing up and down on the spot as she eagerly dug her hand into the bowl, when she unfolded the letter her eyes sparkled in excitement and joy, "OH MY LOVELY ALPHONSE!" she wrapped arms and legs around him, hugging the blushing man close to her. What a surprise, she got her boyfriend.

Winry suspiciously looked at Mei, wondering if she used some type of secret ninja art to fish out her boyfriend's name from the crowd.

She shook her head and moved the bowl over to the blushing Al, who smiled nervously at his sister-in-law and plucked a name from the decreasing pile of letters. When he looked at the name he grinned widely and Mei pecked his cheeks.

Ed scrutinized his brother, "So, you wanna tell me you "accidentally" picked her-other?" he snorted in disbelief.

The pathetic heap on the floor that was Roy Mustang waved his glove like a white flag in the air, "Can we trade?"

Alphonse chuckled and wrapped an arm around Mei's shoulders, "Well, what can I say brother..." he scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed but overjoyed. Mei giggled, snuggling herself into her beloved. Ed just shook his head at the couple.

The next one to choose was Lan Fan, timidly she grabbed the nearest folded piece of paper, slowly opening it close to her face like a guarded secret and blushed slightly when she saw the name written in Xingese. Winry smirked, already guessing who she got judging by the blush on her face.

Ling narrowed his eyes, rubbing his chin as he carefully thought over which one to choose, there were only three left after all, "Hmmm..." his gaze moved back and forth between the piece, contemplating on how to find out whose name was on whose without being noticed by Winry's watchful gaze.

"Just choose already ya damn idiot!" Greed growled at him, stomping his foot.

Ling jumped, startled out of his reverie, "I need to think!" Greed sent him a dirty look, "You can think when you're in hell! Now _choose_!"

With a bit of eagerness, coupled with Greed's persuasion, Ling grinned as he finally grabbed a name. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he read who the hell he got, he fell to the floor dramatically, clutching Lan Fan's leg, "Ohhhhh the _horror_! Please no! Someone trade with me! Nooo!" Ling sobbed his heart out on Lan Fan's pants leg, who patted her husband and Emperor on the head softly.

Greed rolled his eyes, unimpressed, "Stupid piss-ant," Lena sharply elbowed her boyfriend, who coughed and frowningly grabbed a name.

"Oh..." Greed calmly rubbed his chin, blinking rapidly to see if his eyes played tricks on him, "Fucking hell no," he rubbed his eyes furiously, when the name remained the same, Greed started crying.

"G-Greed what is it?!" Greed leaned on Lena for support, sobbing into her shoulder.

"I...I...I c-can't talk about it...it's too...it's too traumatic..." Greed fell to the floor and sucked on his thumb, rolling back and forth, "No, no, no, no, no..." he suddenly shot straight up like a candle, "Wait a damn second! I gotta buy him clothes..can't have him parading around like a damn fashion disaster... I need to book a operation...he needs to look handsome...shit that will cost me," Lena blinked, looking weirdly at her boyfriend who seemingly talked to himself, she had a hunch on who he might have got and she bet it would be hilarious once they would open presents.

Winry smiled at Lena who returned her smile and finally grabbed the last name, she smiled brightly, brown eyes twinkling in mischief and Winry wondered whom she got.

Then, chaos ensued.

"Why did I get him?!"

"I wanna trade?! Anyone open for negotiations! I'll give you my position as General please!"

"Uh, hey, does anyone know where I can find a guide to "8 Steps to Recovering from Doorphobia?"

"I don't _have_ doorphobia!"

"Whipped cream! I need whipped cream!"

"Oi, anyone know where I can buy a dog collar with the name "piss-ant"? Do they sell that stuff?"

"Some fireproof kitty boxers anyone?"

" _Why you-!"_

" _SHUT UP YOU BRATS!"_ Granny Pinako's loud voice boomed through the area and shook the whole house, causing every person in the room to shiver in fear and immediate obedience, even Greed resisted to rebel against that sassy old woman, that woman knew her shit.

"Anyone up for some Christmas stew?" she smiled.

"I take firsts!" Winry called, rushing into the kitchen.

"I take seconds!" Ling jumped over Mustang's pathetic form on the ground, who was clutching the piece of paper and crying.

"I take hundreds!" Greed shoved Ling out of the way and the two males fought for a good seat at the table to get their hands on the food easily.

Lena sighed softly, smiling after her aloof boyfriend and shaking her head.

"Everything alright?" Lena felt someone nudge her shoulder when she looked to her side she saw Edward, much to her surprise.

"Yeah," she smiled softly, "Say what are you doing here? I thought you would be first to try and get Pinako's stew," Lena laughed softly and Ed chuckled.

He shook his head, hands in his pockets, "Nah, I don't feel hungry," he said nonchalantly, whistling a tune.

Lena's eyes widened and she playfully shoved him, "Oh, the great Edward Elric not having an appetite? Are you sick Ed?" she giggled when he chuckled and shoved her back gently.

"Hey, I'm not a bottomless pit I'll let you know," he grinned at her his typical Elric smile and she just laughed.

"Say, whose Secret Santa are you?" he rose a fair eyebrow, leaning over her slightly, curiously.

Lena crossed her arms with a small smirk, "I'm not telling," she opened one eye and whispered, "...Whose are you?"

Ed adjusted his collar and winked, "I'm not telling," Lena giggled.

"Oh come on Ed, pretty please?" she blinked rapidly, giving him her puppy eyes not even the iron headed Greed could resist.

The blonde grinned like the devil, "HA! That won't work on me! Not even Winry's puppy eyes work on me!" Ed had his eyes firmly shut, face directed toward the ceiling.

Lena grabbed his cheeks, pinching them, "Come on Elric! You know I'll win!" Lena messed with his face, pulling one cheek then the other, ruffling his hair, trying to grab his attention.

Ed opened one eye and simply said, "Nope," emphasizing on the "o" and popping the "p" at the end.

Lena pouted, crossing her arms, Ed opened both his eyes and grinned, ruffling her hair playfully, "Better luck next time!" he rushed toward the kitchen, followed closely by Lena.

"Hey! Come back here blondie!" Lena laughed as she gave chase.

* * *

 _The following days..._

"Would you be able to get it done by tomorrow?" Roy pressed the metal object toward the man at the counter, the man looked at it closely and looked up at Roy, saluting briefly.

"I'll do my best General Mustang, sir. What would you like for me to do with it?" he asked politely and Roy smiled.

"Are you able to engrave something into the side when you open it?" he placed a slip of paper on top of the glass counter, "Engrave this onto it please," the salesman looked at the paper and nodded, pocketing it and the metallic object.

"I'll be done by tomorrow morning," Roy smirked, "Perfect,"

They shook hands and Roy waved as he left the shop.

As he strolled through the streets, pulling his scarf closer around his neck and blowing warm puffs of air into the crisp winter afternoon, he looked up at the foggy sky.

* * *

Lan Fan looked at the various necklaces brought on display, observing each and every one carefully.

"May I help you miss?" a woman working at the shop asked her politely with a smile and Lan Fan got startled by the sudden disturbance of silence.

"Um, I'm searching for a necklace, do you have anything with a leather cord?" the shop assistant smiled and nodded, leading Lan Fan to the front of the counter, she briefly bent down to retrieve something from the lower cabinet, bringing forth a small, neatly organized case full of various types of leather cords meant for necklaces.

"Which one would you like?" warm honey eyes observed Lan Fan as she scrutinized her options.

Her gaze fell on a black and brown leather cord, the two leather string entwined in each-other like a braid, "That one please," Lan Fan pointed to the wished cord and the woman picked it out of the case.

"And what would you like for the cord to be attached to?"

Lan Fan bit her lip, thinking.

"...Do you perhaps have something of Xingese origin?"

* * *

Greed snickered when he found what he was looking for, "Hey lady!" he waved over a shop assistant, who came over to Greed to see if she could help, "Can you engrave this for me?" he held up a dog collar, black with small spikes around the collar.

The woman took the dog collar and nodded, "Sure, what's the name of your dog?"

Greed grinned, "Piss-ant,"

 **Hihi hey there!** Yeah I know it's pretty short buuuut I intend for Part 2 to be much longer! **:3 So, any ideas on who got whom as their Secret Santa? ;)**


	82. Questions for the Cast

I'm back! :D hihi Here are the questions and answers and then closely after follows **Part 2** of **A Gift to You! ;) HAPPY NEW YEAR PEEEOOPPPLEE! :D :D :)**

 **QUESTION: Would you guys like for me to write something similar to "Actor on Actor" but incorporating the characters of FMA? Like "Character on Character"?** With different pairs and everything, I'll mention other chars too! (like Bradley, Homunculi, Armstrong, how the Ishvalans feel about the State Military...etc.)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Jadasimone16:** haha Don't worry, I planned on including a funny mistletoe scene in the next part! ;)

 **Lily:** haha thanks xd Oh really? I hope your eyes are better after those drops! :)

 **Bob:** (grins) Happy new year to you too! :3

 **Penguin20:** That's nice! I hope you all enjoyed it :D

 **OtakuGirl:** (blushes and hides face) T-thanks! :3 haha I try being half decent at least! (scratches head)

 **Emma:** hihi right? My personal favorite where I had to laugh myself was the last line from Greed ^^ The saleswoman asks him seriously:"What's the name of your dog?" and then Greed comes with that grin of his:" Piss-ant," it sounded funnier in my head anyway haha ;)

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** Thanks a lot! ^_^ Oho, well you're close about Ed ;) haha I think I made it a bit too obvious though xd

 **Guest:** Hi there! :) haha They are one of my OTPs too! :3 Oh uh, do you mind maybe making up a username? Sorry if I'm asking too much, I just think it's too impersonal on my side to just call you "guest" (sweat drop)

 **Pouda-P:** Hihi it will only get better! ;)

 **GrumpyCatWriter101:** (snickers) Mhmm! Oh yeah, I've got a few surprises for them later :D

 **Enjoy!**

 **BTW: I changed the Roy Mustang rap song a little but just like one sentence because I didn't really feel too creative! Hope nobody minds! ^^**

* * *

 **Questions for the Cast**

 **Reporter** : "Hello ladies and gentleman! Today we will have an interview with our lovable heroes! The first question is for Edward Elric!" the reporter grinned broadly.

 **Edward: "** Uh, hi there." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

 **Reporter: "** Right, so the first question is how tall are you now?" he grinned cheekily.

 **Edward:** "TALLER THAN YOU THAT'S FOR SURE!" he hollered, steam coming out of his nose like a raging bull as he tried to calm down and _not_ strangle the beaming man before him.

 **Reporter:** "Hey, hey, hey, don't kill the messenger!" he grinned brightly holding his hands up in a peace offering. Alright! The next question is for...Roy Mustang! Oh and it's a funny one too! After all, the best comes first!"

Ed looked at Winry and whispered into her ear:" Uh, isn't it 'the best comes last?'" the blonde mechanic shrugged.

 **Roy:** "Ah, yes of course, I bet my fans have earnestly waited for my arrival!" stars danced in his eyes as he fought the manly tears from spilling down his cheeks, Riza just shook her head.

 **Reporter:** "Right, right, so the first question is what would you do if Ed was your boss for a day?" the man with sunglasses bit his lip, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Roy froze as stiff as a board, a shadow covered his eyes, "Lieutenant..." his voice was dark as he whispered the single word.

Riza nodded, "Understood sir," she suddenly took out her gun and pointed it at the reporter, "Anymore questions sir?"

 **Reporter:** "I-uh, now wait a minute, I-I have a license for this! I got permission from the court!" he waved a letter in his hands, which read in large bold letters " _Letter of permission!"_ at the top of the page.

 **Roy:** "Well...I would go to jail, I presume," he rubbed his chin calmly.

The reported guffawed at his calm demeanor and the nature of his answer, "W-why?"

 **Roy:** "Because I killed my superior," Ed's eyes nearly bulged out of his head hearing this.

 **Ed:** "Hey! I could say the same thing to you flame brain! But at least I don't kill old people!"

Roy's eye twitched, his hands turning cartoonishly small as he mysteriously grew sharp, dinosaur-like teeth, "What did you say?!"

 **Ed** :" You heard me Mustang!"

Before a fight could break out in the middle of a interview, the reported cleared his throat as loud as he could and turned his gaze to another male in the room, "Ah! Mr. Greed! Tell us something about yourself," the reporter smiled.

 **Greed** : "I'm Greed and I don't want to be here," he crossed his arms stubbornly, Lena sighed and rolled her eyes, that caught the reporter's attention.

 **Reporter:** "And what about your lady friend?" he wiggled his eyebrows and that pissed Greed off.

 **Greed:** "She ain't no lady! She's the one who dragged me here in the first place!" he huffed when Lena nudged him in the ribs, a _bit harder_ than usual, "We could have _socialized_ at home _alone_ but no...I had to be in this stupid interview,"

 **Lena:** "H-hey! Stop making such indecent jokes in front of the camera! And I _am_ a lady! ...Sometimes anyway..." she hit her boyfriend's bicep.

 **Greed:** "Wait, there's a camera?!" he whipped his head around in all directions, before spotting the rather large stationary camera right next to the reporter, who face palmed. Greed scratched the back of his neck, "Sorry..."

 **Reporter:** "Uh, right, next question is for Edward again! Ahem, are you thinking of having anymore kids than you already do?" he rose an eyebrow.

 **Ed:** He was blushing a bit and adjusting his collar, "Uh, well, I-I," his face exploded when Winry latched onto his arm suddenly with a grin and a wink, "We're thinking about it but I think one or two more wouldn't hurt too much!" when the reporter looked at Ed the poor man was out cold, a thin trail of blood running down his nose.

 **Reporter:** "Ah, now that's the stuff that makes the fans go wild!" he winked and looked at his paper again, "Now, for the next question! This one's to Alphonse!" he grinned wolfishly at the younger brother.

 **Alphonse: "** Y-yes?" he asked shyly, somewhat conscious of the camera zooming in on him.

 **Reporter:** "How many cats could you carry in your armor?!" he laughed, excited.

 **Alphonse:** "Oh! That's easy! I could've carried up to 20 cats when brother wasn't looking!" he smiled sheepishly.

 **Ed:** " _What?!_ "

 **Reporter:** "Ohoo niiice! Anyway, the next question is for Mr. Mustang again!"

Roy looked at the energetic reporter suspiciously, distrust written all over his face.

 **Reporter:** "Can you sing _the_ rap song?" for a moment at Roy's murderous look, the reporter thought he would burn him alive or his wife would shoot him to death but he was caught off guard.

Roy cleared his throat before he did something nobody in that room expected, he started rapping, " _Ooohh snap snap, spark spark, it's time to light up the diggy diggy dark,"_ everyone stared at him with wide open eyes as he jumped on his chair, Riza clapping to the beat beside him, not at all looking surprised.

Roy grinned, " _I'm the flame alchemist and I'm gonna be Führer! My beats are hot and my rhymes are purer! I like the ladies in the miniskirts and I look sexy without my fancy shirts!"_ suddenly Ed shoved Roy off his chair and took his place on it, Winry started clapping to a different tune, oh no... " _Girl look at that body, girl look at that body, girl look at that body, I work out. When I walk in the spot, yeah, this is what I see, ok, everybody stops and they staring at me. I got passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to sh-ooohhhww!"_ Ed was cleanly knocked off the chair by none other than Greed, whose hands were on his half done belt.

"Oh no you fucking _don't_!" Lena jumped on top of Greed and prevented him from ripping off his pants, "You're sexy to me but there are other ladies present!" she punched him on the head, dragging him back to his seat.

 **Reporter:** "Um...o-ok, l-l-let's c-continue now, shall we?" he cleared his throat and adjusted the collar of his shirt nervously, eyes frantically looking over the questions on his list, "R-r-right, M-Mr. Elric, would you drink milk if it meant using alchemy again?" he nervously tapped his pencil against his list.

 **Ed:** Slowly, Ed got up from the floor and went back to his seat, adjusting his pants, "Ahem...I absolutely refuse drinking the seed of Satan to spawn even more evil creatures like-" Winry sharply elbowed his side and hissed:" _Edward!"_ The former alchemist frowned, resting his chin on his hand, he sighed heavily, "No...I wouldn't...because..." he looked at Winry, he sighed again, "...because I simply don't like milk," he smiled tightly.

The reporter finished his second glass of scotch.

 **Reporter:** "A-a-alright everyone! We are almost done! Ah! There's a question for Wrath or uh, Mr. Bradley, sir!" he saluted briefly to the tall, intimidating man in uniform.

Greed looked to his right and almost jumped in his seat from shock, "W-what the hell?! Since when did _you_ get here?!" he hissed like a territorial cat at his sibling, who was as calm and friendly as ever.

 **Bradley:** "Hello everyone, it's good to be back." He smiled pleasantly.

 **Reporter:** "So, the question is; have you truly stayed loyal to Father all this time and if not, when was the time you realized you wanted to rebel against him?" he looked curious as did the rest of the group who leaned in, interested to hear the answer.

 **Bradley:** "Ah, a worthy question indeed. Let's see, after having survived the experiment it happened...about six years later when I met Mrs. Bradley, my wife." He smiled at the memory, "I admit, I have remained loyal to Father and the rest of the Homunculi at first, but after getting to know Mrs. Bradley, I've quickly changed my mind. I knew Father would have tried to eliminate her, since she wasn't a sacrifice and had no meaning in his plans. I kept our relationship a secret until he found out one day, he deemed her worthy enough to stay since I promised to follow through orders in exchange for her safety," he cleared his throat.

Silence ensued briefly, before there were many "awws" coming from the girls, Ling and the reporter. Greed crossed his arms and scoffed, muttering under his breath, "Tch, cheesy asshole," Lena slammed her elbow against him to shut him up.

 **Reporter: "** T-that was...that was very nice, thank you sir," he wiped his tears away with a tissue, blowing his nose quickly before he turned toward the camera, "A-alright folks! This would be it for the first interview! We would love to hear if you have any more questions for our cast to answer!"

 **Greed: "** Wait, _first_ interview?! There will be _more_?!" Greed hollered before Lena growled and grabbed his ear roughly, making him yelp in pain.

 **Yeah...this was pure randomness XD** BUT please feel free to write more questions! I would love to hear them! Any questions directed to ANY character in FMA Brotherhood! :)


	83. My Gift to You Part 2

Me again! Xd lol Yeah, once again, Happy New Year everyone! :D :) I hope you guys had a blast! Uh, (scratches head) yeah, well, I know authors usually don't do this stuff and all but allow me to just say this teensie bit, **2016** hadn't been the... _best_ year for me, but writing stories helped a lot, definitely, writing has always been an outlet when I was incredibly stressed, feeling down or when the real world become too much and I found out many people felt the same. I have been pretty insecure about posting my stories, which of course like with any other author contain bits and pieces of themselves in as well, our thoughts, feelings and sometimes we portray them through the character we are writing about, while simultaneously trying to not write the character too OOC. Yeah...sorry for rambling, I'm kinda in a sentimental mood now I guess (clears throat) Eheh, yeah I'm awkward about such things ne? ^^ Anyway, since I rambled now, feel free to tell me how your 2016 looked like if you WANT. :)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** Ohhh! Good idea! Don't worry, it's noted down and I'll update the requests chapter soon too! :3 Thanks for the awesome idea Lil'! :)

 **Penguin20:** Aw thanks so much! :)

 **Bob:** Thanks a lot Bob! :D

Enjoy everyone! :)

* * *

 **My Gift to You Part 2**

Ling stuck his tongue out, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as his concentrated gaze roved over the rows and rows of robes. He sighed dramatically, placing one hand on his hip and flipping through the robes with the other, he frowned, "No, no, no, no...too flashy, too...ugh _revealing_ bleh, too dark, too bright, too- _oh!_ That's it!" he grinned, eyes alight with happiness as he clutched at the fabric tightly.

Right over his hand, there was another, who was clutching the robe as well, what the...

Ling looked to his right only to see some elderly woman, he called upon his patience to deal with this, "Um, excuse me miss but you see I-" the woman suddenly, roughly might he add, _roughly_ , grabbed the fabric right out of his tight grip and scoffed.

"Yeah? Whatcha want kid?" her voice was gruff and angry and Ling swore he had found Greed's mom...or some other type of relative. Grandma? Yeah, maybe.

"Excuse me, but I grabbed it first," Ling's grip was back on the robe.

The woman's eyes narrowed, "Oh really? And who saw that? I didn't," with her nose turned up in the air, she ripped the fabric from his hands and made her slow way to the cashier.

Ling tried again, his patience running thin, " _Excuse me-"_

 _WHAM!_

"Shut yer trap you annoying fly! I don't have time to deal with hormonal teenagers looking to play dress up! Now scram!" Ok, he took that back, not even Greed's mom could have been _that_ nasty...maybe.

This time, Ling outright _growled_ , "Alright, listen up you old hag! _I_ saw that robe _first_ and _I_ grabbed it _first_! Now give me back my damn robe!" he held his hand out, royally pissed.

The old woman turned around, adjusting her sunglasses, who the _hell_ wore _sun_ glasses in _winter_?!

"You wanna fight pretty boy? Come at me!" the woman turned her bag into a weapon, swinging it with the grace of one of Ling's royal servants who were trained in the art of combat.

Patience and etiquette be damned.

Ooh, the game was _on_!

* * *

"Hm..." Ed's keen gaze moved over various assortments of jewelry and other pretty trinkets, but none seemed to catch his attention and it had already been an hour.

"Found something brother?" Al appeared beside Ed and the older male nearly jumped in surprise.

"A-Al, w-what are you doing here?" he looked around, searching for the smaller Xingese princess.

His brother scratched the back of his neck, smiling, "Ah, w-well you see, Mei and Winry went shopping and they dragged me along but I lost them in the crowd." He grinned sheepishly and Ed sighed.

"So that's how it is huh..." he turned back toward the jewelry, sighing in defeat. Al noticed.

"Didn't find anything?" he asked, a small smile on his face.

Ed shook his head, "Nah...I've searched for over an hour Al but I can't find anything. I don't even really know what she wants you know? I mean, she's more of a practical person, she only has dresses for formal occasions, she has weapons instead of jewelry and...well I don't know! I can't just gift her random stuff you would gift to any woman out there!" he ran a hand down his face, clueless.

Alphonse chuckled, resting a hand on his brother's shoulder, "Hm...have you tried subtly asking her?" he rose an eyebrow.

Ed mimicked his expression, "Subtly asking her?"

"Mhm, yeah. Starting a conversation and trying to talk about Christmas, what was it like for her before, what she got as presents and then you could just ask her what she would like or if she needed something. Well, you two aren't the best of friends so why not spend some time with her and figure it out?" he smiled, hopeful that his advice was good.

Ed hummed, running a hand through his hair, "Hey, we get along pretty well it's just...ah...yeah, I guess we just never really hang out that often. Either way that bastard is with her or we are with everyone else and we don't talk as much...you think that may work?" he was genuinely curious, since he considered her a dear friend and didn't want to gift her something disappointing on Christmas of all holidays.

Alphonse chuckled, "Well, it's worth a try. Last time I saw her, she was talking to Lan Fan about something, that was near the Xingese shop," Ed nodded his thanks and patted Al's shoulder before he moved within the sea of people, headed for the Xingese shop.

Sure enough, Lena was there, but alone, Lan Fan must have probably left already. Lena was leaning over what appeared to be necklaces or wristbands. Ed steeled himself as he approached her and gently touched her shoulder.

Lena almost jumped at the unexpected contact on her shoulder, thinking it was either Lan Fan or maybe even Greed, she turned around but instead of seeing either of the two, she saw a grinning Ed, who looked a bit sheepish.

"Sorry, did I uh, startle you?" he scratched the back of his neck.

Lena smiled, shaking her head, "Oh, Ed it's you. No, you didn't don't worry. I had just been expecting Lan Fan or maybe even Greed,"

Ed rose an eyebrow, looking around briefly for the Homunculus, "Ah, where is he?"

Lena rolled her eyes playfully, "He was muttering something about dog collars and piss-ant," she snorted, laughing when Ed started laughing too.

"Oh geez, I seriously pity Ling now," he shook his head, not too keen on finding out what Greed had in store for him.

Lena giggled, "Yeah, I'm just glad he didn't get me," she covered her eyes with her hand, releasing a relieved sigh.

Ed rose an eyebrow curiously, "Uh, why? He's your boyfriend ain't he?" now that got him curious.

Lena grinned, "Yeah, he is but sometimes he won't even show mercy on me...you don't wanna know what he gifted me as a prank gift last year," she shivered, as if visualizing the memory caused her physical illness.

"Speaking of gifts...uh, what did you usually get? You know for Christmas," he put his hands in his pockets casually, attempting to not act suspicious.

Lena thought for a moment, "Oh...um...well..." she frowned in concentration, "To tell you the truth, last time someone gifted me something was dad and that had been before I left for my journey...on my journey I sort of just spent it drinking hot chocolate and walking around and looking at the festivities, nothing special. And Greed always made sure I was never disappointed, when he would gift me something weird, it was usually a prank gift." She giggled, "Last year, he gave me a map, a compass and a piece of his Philosopher's Stone. He told me that I should mark the locations I've already traveled to on the map, whenever I would get lost somewhere I should put a part of his stone on the compass and it would lead me to him," she giggled, "It's a silly but sweet though, he can be a real cheesy romantic when he wants be,"

"Oh and the year before, he spent a small fortune on roses, a telescope to watch the stars and he bought me a nice big blanket for winter, I love sharing it with him when it's chilly and he's behaving like a stuck up girl that denies her crush," she giggled, grinning cheekily.

Ed blinked, amazed at all the things Greed had gifted her. How could he top that? Hm... "That sounds...really great. You know, I shouldn't actually tell you this but uh, Al lied when he said he got Mei as secret Santa. He actually got you and he doesn't know what to buy you," Ed scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment, hoping Lena wouldn't be as perceptive as she usually was and believe his little white lie.

Lena rose an eyebrow, a small smile on her face, "Really? Aw, he's so cute! But, I don't want anything. To me, it's enough I got everyone with me safe and sound, presents are a secondary factor to great company, don't you think?" she smiled up at him. Ed blushed in embarrassment.

"Yeah, you're right. But still, he looked like he really wanted to buy you something nice for Christmas. You know how Al is," Ed rolled his eyes, hoping his poor lying skills had improved.

Lena observed him for a moment, before she wound her arm with his, which startled Ed beyond belief. Usually, Winry would do it and he was used to her impulsive actions, but this caught him entirely off guard. Redness spread over Ed's cheeks and he looked around, looking if his imminent death would soon fall upon him should somebody get the wrong idea.

"Tell you what Ed, why don't we look around and see if we can find something? If it gives Al a peace of mind then..." she smiled, grinning up at him.

Ed relaxed, grinning back at her, " _How stupid can I get? Hell, we are just friends, maybe Win was right, I didn't spend a whole lot of time with girls to understand how some things work,"_ Ed grinned devilishly and grabbed her hand, "Watcha waiting for? Let's go!"

She laughed in surprise when Ed dragged her along before she started running with him through the crowd, laughing like maniacs and letting the snowflakes fall on them.

* * *

 _A few hours later..._

Greed carried a paper bag in his arm, whistling nonchalantly as he drank some hot chocolate from his cup, feeling the warm sweet liquid leaving a pleasant aftertaste in his mouth and warming him from the inside. He smiled and hummed, enjoying the feeling.

Well, his shopping for today was almost done, he might as well try and look where his girlfriend-

He violently tore the cup from his mouth and spit out the liquid with it when he spotted Lena _and_ Edward standing close together at a stand, from his view, it looked like Ed bought her some hot chocolate to drink but she playfully hit his arm and seemed to protest at the idea, attempting to stuff a few coins in his jacket pockets with Ed blushing and shouting it was alright. **(A/N: ...You know that moment when a friend wants to buy you something but you try to stuff the money back into their pockets or hands? No? Maybe I'm the only crazy one here...XD)**

Greed realized a piece of the destroyed plastic cup still hung in his mouth and he spit it out, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at them, now he wasn't exactly the jealous type...

Oh who the hell was he kidding, he was _the_ sin of _greed_ for hell's sake! He desired _everything_ there was to desire! _Of course_ he was the possessive type! Damn it all!

" _But why is she hanging around Ed? They're friends but..."_ he narrowed his eyes, " _Maybe my avarice is playing tricks on me..._ " Greed shrugged, trying to ban the feeling into the back of his mind.

He saw how they talked about something, laughed about something, saw how Lena's cheeks reddened before she playfully hit the taller male and the blonde chuckled at her reaction.

Hm...

She was _his_ damn it and he was hers! Not even Ed Fullmetal fucking Elric could steal her away! Besides, didn't he have the automail freak? Why was he suddenly hanging around her?! She was _his_ badass lady with a big heart! Greed tried to calm down and think rationally, " _Alright... maybe they're hanging out because it's Christmas and shit and they want to spend time together. They're friends, they can spend time together, no worries, yeah,"_ his hand clenched around air as he looked down at the snow covered ground. Oh...yeah...he had accidentally destroyed his cup.

He scoffed, crossing his arms and turning his back like a insulted child, refusing to listen to his suspicions.

"Greed? Is that you?" he heard Lena's voice call out to him and he turned around then, quickly masking his annoyance when he saw Edward and Lena approaching him, both smiling with flushed cheeks. Greed's mood darkened and Ed picked up on it, looking briefly at Greed in confusion, raising a fair eyebrow.

Greed ignored him, "Hey sweets," Greed's frown softened into a warm smile and he hugged Lena briefly, she patted his shoulder affectionately and kissing his chin in greeting.

"Hey, I thought you were getting things for...you know who," Lena winked with a smirk.

The Homunculus grinned, "Yeah, I got everything I need," his annoyance returned when he looked at Ed.

"So...you met Ed huh?" Greed crossed him arms, for some reason feeling territorial.

Ed didn't show any signs of being uncomfortable or feeling intimidated at all, which only grated on Greed's pride and nerves, "Yeah, we met an hour ago when I had been searching for things to buy," he smiled an easy going smile.

Greed clicked his tongue, Lena noticed the snappish behavior and rose an eyebrow, "Greed are you-"

"Well, kids, I got an appointment! Gotta go look for that crazy piss-ant who doesn't know how to use doors," he rolled his eyes, whistling and turning on his heel in the opposite direction.

Lena stopped herself mid-sentence and sent Ed a semi-worried look, Ed shrugged down at her.

He leaned down slightly to whisper in her ear, conscious of Greed's good hearing, "I think he's just in a bad mood, we could try to cheer him up later right?" Ed smiled and chuckled.

Lena smiled and giggled, nodding, "Mhm, yeah, thanks Ed," she smiled at him.

Before Greed rounded a corner, he took one last look behind him to see if they already left. What he saw left him frozen stiff.

Ed, _that prick_ , leaning _too_ close to Lena and whispering something in her ear, making her _giggle_. They _both_ laughed.

Greed's Ultimate Shield covered fingers dug into the side of the building he was behind.

* * *

Alphonse smiled, "Roy! How comes you're here?" he looked up at the shop Roy just walked out of, a mechanic shop.

Roy seemed surprise to encounter Alphonse just across the street and he smiled, "Oh, hello Alphonse. Just running a delivery really, what about yourself?" Roy tried playing it cool, he was Führer damn it, he needed to keep a cool head, be focused...

"You're buying a present for him aren't you?" Al flatly asked, a small smirk on his face. He laughed out loud when Roy jumped and frantically looked around as if the person he was the secret Santa of himself was somewhere in the vicinity and spying on them this very second.

"Not so loud Alphonse! The little twerp may be here somewhere!" Roy sent suspicious looks every person that passing, earning odd looks in return.

Al laughed and scratched the back of his neck, "Oh no, don't worry, he actually went a little while ago somewhere with Lena."

Roy sighed in relief then perked up, "Lena huh? Odd, I just saw Greed pass me by, I think he didn't see me. He looked...livid for some reason. Pretty annoyed I would say," he rubbed his chin, humming thoughtfully.

Al's eyes widened slightly in surprise, "Wait, what? You saw Greed? Why was he annoyed?"

Mustang shrugged, "I don't know, I thought he had gotten into a dispute with the tiny pipsqueak or something," he pouted and for some reason, he reminded Al of a disappointed puppy.

"Well, brother's not tiny anymore," Al smiled nervously, "It's weird...even if he did fight with brother, it couldn't be because Lena is with him,"

Both men thought for a while, before Roy nearly head butted Al by jumping when he figured out what the possible reason for Greed's anger may be.

"I know! Maybe he was jealous!" Roy pointed a finger at Al, who looked completely lost and confused.

" _What_? Greed being jealous over brother? Now that's something you don't hear every day..." Al rose an eyebrow, "No, I don't think so. Well, either way, there's no reason for him to be jealous. Brother is married to Winry and he is Lena's boyfriend, they would never cheat that's for sure," Alphonse looked out at the passing people, not understanding the situation.

Roy smirked, rubbing his chin, "Hm...perhaps so, Alphonse, perhaps so. However, there comes a time in a man's life where he may choose a different route to his usual comfortable life and seek something different? Some men decide that the domestic life isn't something for them and they leave it behind in order to pursue a more...risqué lifestyle." Mustang smirked, probably thinking of Riza in a mini skirt again.

Al froze, his eyes wide when he grabbed Roy by his shoulders and shook him violently, "No, no, no! Brother would never do that! You're wrong!"

Roy blinked, "W-wait a minute Alphonse, I didn't mean it happened to him! I'm just saying men that very much love to travel, may have perverted tendencies or thoughts, get bored easily and are at times childish tend to do such things," Roy scratched his head.

Alphonse froze as stiff as a board.

" _Brother loves to travel!"_ Alphonse's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

" _Brother is sometimes perverted!_ " Al covered his mouth in shock.

" _Brother does get bored easily!"_ Oh no...no...

" _BROTHER_ _ **IS**_ _CHILDISH!"_ Al jumped, nearly hitting Roy in the face when he frantically flailed with his arms.

"MY BROTHER IS A MORON!" Al's gaze shot to Roy's flabbergasted one.

"...Alphonse, we know that already, what are you-" he was interrupted by Al.

"T-t-t-that all points to brother!" waterfall tears were running down his face, imagining a demonical version of his brother holding Lena in his arms and laughing evilly and crazily, saying stuff like, ' _Hahaha! HA HA! NOW I'LL GO ON AN ADVENTURE! WITHOUT MILK OR WINRY! HA HA! HAHAA!"_

 _"_ _Nooooo!_ " Alphonse looked like his soul was about to leave his body...

"Listen Alphonse, I highly doubt Edward, as much a moron as he is, would do anything like that. I'm sure you know too," Roy smiled.

He smiled nervously, "Then again...he _is_ a moron..." both men looked at each-other.

"FULLMETAL/BROTHER!" both sprinted in the direction of the marketplace, trying to squeeze in through the crowd.

* * *

"Hm, so he sings in the shower huh?" Ed chuckled, taking a sip of his hot chocolate as he listened to Lena telling embarrassing stuff about Greed.

"Oh yeah, he does, but then again I do too. We make each-others ears bleed," she shrugged, giggling.

"Heh, you'd have to hear Winry yell at me when I refuse to drink my milk...jeez _that_ will make your ears bleed," he grinned, chuckling softly.

Lena smiled, "Naw, look who's all acting dreamy about his lovely wife," Lena winked, smirking smugly.

Ed blushed, nearly spilling the hot liquid all over himself as he tried to steady himself and his hot chocolate, "Ugh... _Lenaaa_ ," he groaned like a child.

Lena laughed, patting him on the back, "Yeah, yeah, you don't fool me Elric." She winked, grinning, "Anyway, who did you get in the game?" she rose an eyebrow curiously and titled her head.

Ed broke out in a sweat, he absolutely _sucked_ at lying, "Uh, I got um, Winry," he coughed into his hand, distracting himself by drinking.

Lena narrowed her eyes in confusion, "Huh? Oh really? Are you sure about that?" she smirked.

Ed rose an eyebrow, "Y-yeah, why?" he shot her a half confused, half scared look.

"Because _I_ have her!" Lena stuck her tongue out and grabbed Ed's cheek, pulling it relentlessly, "Now tell me Elric! Who did you get huh?! Teell meeee! Tell me! Tell me!" Lena childishly pulled Ed's cheeks apart and made funny faces, standing on her tip toes to reach him properly.

"I-I'm not telling!" Ed managed to shout out between her prying fingers.

"Tell me!" Lena scoffed, pouting in disappointment.

"Nu-uh!" Ed shook his head stubbornly.

"Ed!"

"No!"

"Come on!"

"Go home!" Ed's cheeks were red from all the pulling and pinching and he rubbed them soothingly, "Ouch..."

"Suits you right for not telling me!" she pouted. He muttered something under his breath, "Definitely Greed's girlfriend..."

"What did you say?" Lena looked at him suspiciously.

"Nothing ma'am, nothing!" Ed raised his hands in surrender, a nervous grin on his face.

They stayed like that for a few seconds, before they burst out laughing, Lena's hand on Ed's shoulder and his own on her shoulder.

"What's the report?" Mustang asked suspiciously, whispering quietly while he watched the scene unfold before him.

Al looked incredulously at the General and hissed lowly, "Why do you need a report?! You're seeing what's happening!" Al couldn't believe it.

Why were they so close together? And laughing? And their hands were on each-other's shoulders?!

"Are you seeing this Elric?" Roy asked, dark eyes focused on the two friends.

Al nodded, tears running down his eyes comically, "Y-yes and I can't believe it! Oh brother!" Roy quickly covered his mouth when he saw the older Elric brother lift his head and look around.

"Hey, did you hear Al calling me?" Ed scratched his head, looking around suspiciously.

Lena too looked around, "Yeah, I thought I did anyway," they both looked around for a minute before deciding they may have heard wrong.

Roy and Al quickly dived down behind the wall when they saw Lena's gaze roving over their general direction, "You think she saw us?" Al quietly asked, eyes darting left and right.

"No, we are safe," Roy muttered, sighing in relief.

"What are you two doing?" Lena bluntly asked as Ed and her stood right behind the two spying idiots, who jumped in the air in shock and released very _unmanly_ screams at being caught red handed.

"Have you guys been spying on us? Huh, so I didn't imagine your voice, _brother_ ," Ed tilted his head, eyes suspicious.

"U-uh, I-I can explain everything b-brother!" Al flailed with his arms around before nearly hitting Mustang's face with one hand as he pointed at him, "It was his idea!"

Mustang in turn childishly pointed to Al, "He called you a manwhore!" Ed and Lena's eyes widened.

" _What?!_ "

"AHA! I _knew_ it! Elric you're dead!" Greed jumped out from nowhere and already had his shield up, prepared to launch a fist straight for Ed's face.

Lena quickly sprinted toward her boyfriend and kicked his face hard, making the Homunculus fall heavily to the ground, his healing abilities kicking in to heal his broken jaw and cheek bones, "What the hell Lena?! You're supposed to be on my side!" Greed gingerly touched the side of his face.

"Oh shut up! You'll heal!" she crossed her arms, looking truly livid.

"Alright! What the hell is going on here?! And why am I a manwhore?!" Ed's head whipped back and forth between Greed and his brother and the nosy general.

"Um...well you see..." Al tried to choose his words carefully.

"I saw you being touchy feely with my lady!" Greed pointed an accusing finger at Ed, who blinked owlishly at him.

Lena's eye twitched, " _What?_ " she sighed heavily, "Greed! You idiot! Ed wasn't being "touchy feely" with me at all!" she growled.

Ed crossed his arms, "Yeah! Besides, I've got Winry ya know?! Though I admit, Lena could do better-"

"Say that again pipsqueak!" Greed's ultimate shield covered claws glinted harshly in the light.

" _Who are you calling a microscopic, little midget that can only be seen-"_

 _"_ _SHUT THE HELL UP!_ Both of you!" Lena's authoritative voice boomed and sent chills down their spins, her eyes were burning, " _You_ ," she poked Greed's chest harshly, "Stop acting so damn jealous! I don't try to rip any woman's throat out when I see them flirting with you mister because I trust you! So stop acting like a territorial dog and man up!"

She turned toward the two cowering forms of one Alphonse and Roy, "And _you_ ," she glared at them, "I'll tell each of your wives what you've done today and you can count on sleeping in Den's house tonight!"

"W-what?! B-but Lenaaa-" she shushed them with a glare.

Ed snickered, grinning madly when he saw just how much of a powerhouse Lena could be. But suddenly she turned toward him and he blanched, sweat running down his forehead, uh...

"And _you_ ," Lena's livid gaze remained for a minute before it broke into a sunny grin, "Next time, we beat them up when they make stuff up again, ne?" Ed grinned, fist bumping Lena with a smug smirk.

The young woman sighed, shaking her head, "What even drove you guys to think such absurd things...god," Lena shook her head.

Greed scowled like a child being denied cookies, "I saw you at the stand...you were _giggling_ and _blushing_! And _he_ was paying drinks for you," Greed shot Edward a dirty look.

"I _think_ I'm allowed to laugh with whomever I want! It's cold Greed! Of course my cheeks would be red! And Ed was just being a gentleman and buying me some hot chocolate!" she snarled at her boyfriend, who looked like a kicked puppy.

"W-well, we saw you and brother being really close a minute ago and you were touching each-other!" Al accused, Roy gasping out loud to add for dramatic effect.

Ed face palmed, "What you call _touching_ I call leaning on each-other to not fall on the ground while laughing! Seriously, what's with you people?! We are just good friends!" Ed rolled his eyes.

Lena nodded vigorously, "Besides, you all know we both would never consider cheating. Despite that I still consider Ed good-looking, as a friend," she smirked.

Ed examined his nails, smirking, "And you're a lovely lady too," he grinned when Lena smirked back and fist bumped with him.

"Oh thank you bestie," Ed chuckled.

"See? Just friends joking with each-other, nothing much to it," Ed smiled and Lena nodded, feeling more relaxed now.

"...We're sorry..." Al and Roy finished lamely, hanging their heads down. Ed rolled his eyes.

Ed and Lena fixed Greed with a stare, the Homunculus glared back, "...Don't expect me to go being all sappy with you..." he turned his head, scoffing.

Lena rolled her eyes and turned her back to him, "Right, now that this is settled...did you all buy presents?" she looked at each of the males.

Roy scratched his cheek, "Uh, well only half of it..."

Al rubbed his cold nose, "Yeah,"

Greed snickered, "Uh-huh," Lena didn't even want to know what he bought.

"Uhh...I'm still searching," Ed grinned widely in embarrassment.

Lena sighed, "Alright...well, I'm off to pick up my present, see you guys in a bit," when she walked off past Alphonse and Mustang, she turned back around briefly, "You coming or not you mangy Homunculus?" her tone was playful.

Greed's head shot up and a toothy grin spread over his face, he shot up to his feet and was beside Lena in a dash, his arm around her shoulders, "Right there my lady!"

Ed couldn't help but shake his head.

"So, what do we do now..." Roy asked after moments of silence.

Ed rolled his eyes and kicked the General into a pile of snow.

* * *

"You think he will like it?" Lan Fan's question made Mei smile.

"Mhm, I'm sure Lan Fan! It's a great present!" she jumped happily, waiting patiently for her friend to finish paying for the present and having it gift wrapped nicely.

"I hope so," Lan Fan smiled, holding the medium sized box in her hands.

Mei grinned happily.

"Thank you so much Garfiel!" Winry smiled, "Are you sure you don't want to spend Christmas with us? We'd love it if you would come!" she smiled up at the flamboyant man.

Garfiel blushed happily and smiled, "Oh Winry dear thank you so much! But I must refuse your offer, you see, I have my own handsome hunk to celebrate with," he winked at her.

Winry looked behind Garfiel to see...wait a little second...is that..?

" _Greed?!_ " her jaw dropped, blue eyes wide when she saw Garfiel looking smug.

Greed perked up at hearing his name and looked over at Winry, he spotted her and grinned, walking over toward them.

" _Greed_ is your uh...wait, what?!" Winry couldn't believe this, Lena will have Garfiel's head!

Garfiel looked at Greed and sighed sadly, "No...sadly not..oh what I would have given to have this handsome stallion in my shed!" he winked at Greed, who froze and inched closer toward Winry, as if seeking protection from the man.

"Uh, but t-then who did you-" Winry weakly lifted a finger, trying to make sense of the situation.

Garfiel pointed to the back, in the direction where Greed had been standing was another man, grinning widely, waving.

"Greed...is it possible that you have a twin?" Winry set the Homunculus a wry look.

"Uh..." he was at a loss for words, scratching the top of his head.

When the man came closer though, Winry saw it. He may be dressed like Greed, have the same hair style and similar facial features but this man had _yellow_ eyes instead of violet ones and slightly larger eyes too, but still slanted. He also sported some sort of brown feather hanging by his ear.

"Hi there," his voice was like silk, nothing like Greed's gravel voice. Winry looked at the Greed-lookalike in awe.

Garfiel smirked, "Isn't he just drool worthy?" he pinched Greed-twins cheek who grinned wolfishly in return.

"Somebody punch me..." Greed muttered, looking sick to his stomach.

Greed-twins eyes moved over to the Homunculus, "Oh hello _you_ ," he moved closer to Greed, who looked scared shitless.

His mouth gaped like a fish when Greed-twin grinned at him.

"Greed?" Greed froze like ice when he heard _that_ voice. _Oh shit..._

"Win? Garfiel? Care to explain why I'm seeing double now?" Lena rose an eyebrow in confusion, switching back and forth between Greed and Greed-twin.

Greed-twin smirked wolfishly at Lena and suddenly went on one knee in front of her, taking her hand and lightly kissing it, "Why hello young lady, I've never been graced with a more ethereal being in my presence before,"

Something inside Garfiel cracked and Winry found herself comforting a big, crying crossdressing man in the middle of the street, "Oh I knew it! I should have known! He is a playboy after all!"

"Shh, there, there, there are plenty of men out there," she comfortingly patted his broad back.

Lena flushed, one hand covering her blazing cheek and the other still being held by Greed-twin, "U-u-uh, h-hi there," she swooned at the saucy smirk he shot her.

Greed, while still scared shitless, shakily came up to his woman's defense, "H-h-hey! H-hands off!" Greed-twin's eyes moved to Greed, who squeaked like a mouse.

"I don't know who's cuter, you or your hunk there, nice catch by the way," Greed-twin smirked.

Lena nearly fainted at the toothy smirk and silky voice, "T-t-t-thanks," steam rushed out of her ears.

"H-h-hey, w-wait a damn m-minute I thought you were-" Greed interrupted himself stupidly.

"Interested in men? You're right about that, but I swing both ways love," the Greed-lookalike grinned and winked.

"W-w-w-well s-s-she's off limits," Greed tried hard not to quake in fear.

Greed-twin looked between Lena and Greed and licked his lips, "But I don't mind going in pairs...or threes," he smirked.

Lena nearly fainted, "R-r-r-r-really?" she looked a bit too dazed.

"W-w-well, b-back off that's not our style!" Greed felt fear and horror rise in him.

"R-r-r-really?" Lena looked at Greed in half confusion and dizziness.

Greed deadpanned, " _Really!_ " he wrapped his arms around Lena protectively.

Greed-twin sighed in disappointment, "Well...whatever rolls your boat right? Well, just ring me up if you change your mind sweets!" he grinned like a wolf.

"L-Lena! Hey wake the hell up!" Lena was out cold, limp in Greed's arms with a blazing red face.

"Stop using my lines to make my girl swoon! Stupid wannabe hottie!" Greed barked after the smug male, feeling relieved he went away.

"Oh admit it Greed-chan, you like him too!" Garfiel fanned himself with his hand rapidly, a rosy blush painting his cheeks.

"Stop calling me that! And no!" Greed sighed, shaking his head.

"Oi...wake up," he poked Lena's cheek, who had a dreamy look on her face.

"H-hey...where is the other Greed?" she pouted in disappointment, Winry giggled.

"The other Greed is gone, now shut up and love me!" Greed gently pinched her cheeks when she puffed out her cheeks like a hamster.

"Nooooo!" Lena shook her head playfully, the cute scene making Winry smile.

"Ah, I almost forgot, merry Christmas," suddenly, Greed-twin popped up out of nowhere and gave Lena and Winry a rose, smiling and winking at Lena.

Both women sighed dreamily, Winry more out of the sweet act and Lena because...well...hell he looked like her hot boyfriend, sue her.

" _GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!_ " Greed growled, going in front of his dazed girlfriend to protect her.

"Don't worry I didn't forget you sweets," Greed-twin playfully threw a rose on top of Greed's head, who violently, with a red face, ripped it off his head and threw it to the ground, stomping on it repeatedly and yelling:" Die! Die! Die! Die!"

"Well...he seemed cute," Lena giggled.

"No he wasn't!" Greed barked in severe annoyance.

* * *

"Alright...do we all have the presents?" Ed looked between all his friends who gathered again back in the Rockbell home, gifts of all sizes each held in their hands.

"Good. One, two...three!" when Ed shouted the last mark everyone placed their gifts on the kitchen table and took three large steps back.

Winry grinned, "Alright! Let's open them up shall we?" she took one medium sized box and looked at who it was addressed to, "Oh, this ones from...Riza to Roy! How sweet," she smiled as she handed Roy the gift.

Roy looked happily at his wife, who smirked at her husband's happy-go-lucky reaction, "Ohh I knew you loved me!" he exclaimed before violently ripping the gift-wrap apart.

Roy froze when he took a _good_ look at what was inside, he picked up one gift from the pile and robotically turned his head to look at a smug Riza, "Uh...waterproof ignition gloves?" he tilted his head.

"You're useless when you're wet," the former sharpshooter said it short and painlessly, her arms crossed over her chest.

Roy made a sound in the back of his throat like a kicked dog, hanging his head down pathetically. Slowly, he placed the ignition gloves to the side, before going to the next one.

This time, he was surprised. It was a chess board. Roy sent his wife a quizzical look but she just nodded for him to open it.

He sighed, feeling wary for some reason, before he opened the antique looking chess board and revealing its figures to everyone.

Ed started to laugh like a maniac and Riza smirked in satisfaction.

"Ah..." Roy's blank gaze rooted itself to one key figure of the entire game, the king.

Instead of, like he expected, to be greeted from his lookalike, there was a small round ball with a stuck out tongue, glaring eyes and a familiar blond braid at the back-

" _FULLMETAL!_ " Roy hurled the figure at the laughing male, making him yelp in pain when the wooden figure hit his forehead.

"Ouch! Hey! What gives! It's great! Look what figure you are!" he grinned wickedly, snickering alongside Ling, who barely held in his laughter.

He was...the pawn. Among the many unknown pawns with no faces, _he_ was the pawn.

Roy's fists shook in anger, "Fullmetal..." he froze when he heard a click sound.

"Sir?" Riza's tone turned low and threatening, her gun cocked at the ready by her side.

"T-t-thank you for the gift ma'am!" Roy smiled sweetly and kissed Riza's cheek, "Good boy," she gently scratched his chin.

"O-okay...um, following up is, uh, oh! Lan Fan's gift to...Al!" Winry happily held out the neatly wrapped gift to the stunned Elric.

"W-what? Lan Fan got me? But I thought Mei got me," he looked quizzically at his girlfriend, who beamed up at him.

"Nope! I fooled you so Lan Fan would have it easier to buy her gift for you!" she winked, grinning.

Al turned toward Lan Fan, who smiled timidly, "Oh I see. Thank you very much Lan Fan!" he smiled and Lan Fan nodded.

"I hope you'll like it Alphonse," she smiled.

Al carefully unwrapped the neatly wrapped present, a look of surprise crossed his face when he took the time to look at what Lan Fan had went out of her way to gift him.

"This is..." Al held up the two pieces of what meant to be one necklace in front of his face.

Lan Fan nodded, "Y-yes, I thought it would suit both you and Mei nicely as yin and yang. You reminded me of the calm and pure attributes of the Yang symbol, the Yang is believed to stand for masculinity, pureness, the sun, a calmness and a radiating warmth." She smiled timidly, her hands held in front of her.

Alphonse smiled at her kindly and put the white yang symbol around his neck while he gave the other one to Mei.

"That was very thoughtful of you Lan Fan, thank you," he grinned brightly before picking out the next item.

"It's a kimono!" Ling said with no small amount of joy, marveling at its fine craftsmanship.

Al took in the simple yet silken texture, the obi was rather simple compared to traditional Xingese kimonos women wear, it was a dark green with a white inner kimono. He found a small set of kunais neatly tucked underneath the fabric.

There was another set of clothing, though this one was different.

This time Ling explained it with a grin, "Ah, that's a haori and hakama, traditionally worn on formal or informal occasions. They are pretty loose fitting and look nice for any occasion,"

The ornamental touch made it all the more lovelier, what Al noticed however made him adopt a warmer, fonder smile. Sewn onto the front where his heart would be, was the flamel symbol.

Moved by his friends thoughtfulness, Al stood up and hugged the surprised bodyguard, a bright smile on his face, "Thank you Lan Fan, I love it," Lan Fan smiled and hugged her friend back.

"That's good to hear, I hope the clothes fit you, I asked Mei for your measurements," Alphonse blushed and scratched the back of his neck while Mei launched herself on his arm.

"Mei you're up next!" the shorter Xingese woman immediately launched herself at the large gift box, ripping off the beautiful wrapping and opening the lid of the box.

Inside was a medium sized bouquet of roses and tiger lilies, a large book about alchemy and Alkahestry and...another box. A smaller one.

Curiously, Mei looked up at her boyfriend, who had a red face and nodded in encouragement, confused, she turned back toward her present and reached for the little box.

It was a bit smaller than her palm, it's texture was made from fine, rich fabric, dark blue in color. When she opened it, nothing could have possibly prepared her for what lay inside, resting in a plush, burgundy pillow.

A ring.

"A-A-A-A-Alphonse!" Mei's eyes were wide, tears already glistening in them. Greed whistled lowly when he saw the ring, it was nothing special, simple but very beautiful. A small white diamond.

Alphonse blushed, "Mei," he joined her on the floor, falling down to one knee and looking seriously into her eyes with a loving look on his face, "Would you do me the honor of...marrying m-me? I-If you want of course!" he blushed a darker shade of red, his nervousness getting the better of him.

While Mei happily and tearfully exclaimed her agreement to his proposal, in the background, Winry was slapping the life out of Ed, " _Why wasn't your proposal so sweet?! Stupid alchemy freak! I should've only given you 20 % of my life!"_

Lena pouted, crossing her arms, Greed tried very hard to ignore it. Lena deadpanned, "So..."

Greed pretended to look around, "Where the hell is my psychotic transsexual twin when ya need him?!"

Lena guffawed, "Huh?! He wasn't _transsexual_! He was...just very open with his love life!" she crossed her arms, muttering under her breath, "Maybe I picked the wrong twin..."

Greed's face loomed over her, "What was that?" Lena smiled sweetly, kissing his cheek, "Oh nothing sweetheart," Greed's eye twitched before he wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, making her squeak in surprise.

She looked up at him and Greed had a serious look on his face, gaze directed at the lovely scene of Al putting the ring on Mei's finger, "Tch, this is lame," Lena was about to reprimand him for the rude comment before he added in a softer tone, "I'll get you something even nicer and better,"

She blinked before his words sunk in, she leaned her head on his chest and sighed, smiling.

"I love you Greed-twin," she joked playfully.

Greed hollered outraged, " _Don't_ call me that!"

Winry wiped a tear away before she read the next name, "A-a-alright, n-next one is... m-me?" the blonde mechanic looked at her secret Santa's name, "L-Lena?"

Said woman strolled up to her with a beaming smile, "C'mon open up!" her dark brown eyes shone with excitement and Winry mirrored her expression, quickly but methodically unwrapping the rather large gift.

"I-I-I-t's...It's..." Winry covered her mouth, eyes shining.

"Y-yeah, I'm not sure if it's the best out there, the salesman and another mechanic assured me it was top quality but I'm not that-ooff!" Lena got startled when Winry jumped on her and embraced her in a bear hug, crying happy tears on her shoulder.

"Oh you! This must have cost a fortune!" Winry hugged her tightly, nuzzling into her shoulder and Lena giggled, hugging her friend back.

"Hey, I don't want to hear anything concerning money!" Lena chided playfully, smiling.

Winry broke apart to properly inspect her gift, a whole new set of stainless steel equipment the latest tools out there, a special oil to coat her automail in to spot it from rusting, getting damaged as easily or cracking and a bracelet with automail parts, screws and wrenches attached to it.

"Aw!I love it! I love you!" Winry hugged Lena again and Lena laughed, happy she liked her gift.

Greed rolled his eyes, "Just how many people are going to hit on my girl today..." he grumbled.

"Why don't I take over? It looks like you're a bit preoccupied," it seemed like Winry didn't hear Lena at all, she was too busy fawning over her brand new equipment, nuzzling her face against it and drooling all over it.

"Ahem...right! So, this next lovely present is...oho! It's from good ol' Mustang to Ed!" Lena grinned, handing Ed the little box.

Ed and Roy locked gazes, Ed's suspicious one with Roy's smug one.

"I'm warning you if this is poison..." Ed threatened, gaze suspiciously inspecting the little, seemingly innocent box.

Roy grinned, "Why I have no idea what you mean Edward," he smiled innocently.

Ed huffed, undoing the neatly made knot and cautiously opening the box. His eyes widened in shock what was inside and the lid fell with a small 'thud' to the floor near his feet.

The box in his grip shook slightly.

There, shiny and polished just like the first time he had received it, lay his State Alchemist pocket watch.

It took Ed a few moments to collect his thoughts, Roy's expression morphed into one of understanding and warmth when he saw Ed slowly take the watch out.

Memories of the past flashed in his mind's eye before he swallowed the lump in his throat and slowly opened his old watch.

He had expected the age old date to be written in there, one he himself had written and made his life goal to remember and not repeat the same mistakes twice.

But instead, written there in neat writing was this,

 _Don't forget your family_

The watch shook in his grip and Ed fought against the onslaught of tears that threatened to overtake him. 'Don't forget your family,' it said.

Roy's gaze softened when Ed stormed up to him and growled, "You stupid flame thrower! Stop being so damn cheesy and makin' me bawl here like some kid! Damn it!" Roy chuckled softly and patted Ed's shoulder almost fatherly, Ed smiled and squeezed the general's shoulder in return, composing himself before looking at his friend and whispering, "Thanks Mustang,"

Roy nodded, "Anytime Fullmetal," Ed nodded, safely pocketing his new pocket watch.

Lena wiped a tear out of her eye," R-right! L-Lan Fan this is for you! From Mei!" she smiled and handed Lan Fan her gift.

Lan Fan looked at Mei, the other Xingese woman smiled at her and nodded. Lan Fan smiled when she saw it was a beautiful red silken kimono, floral designs lining it's surface that was when she spotted the extra layer of cloth underneath it, equipped with what appeared to be holsters she rose an eyebrow.

"Oh, that's for your weapons in case you should ever need them," Mei smiled.

There was a hairpin there too, a beautiful one, with a white lily surrounded by floral designs on top of it.

"T-thank you Mei," Lan Fan hugged the younger girl tightly, "thank you so much! It's so beautiful!" Mei giggled and nodded, hugging her tightly back.

Ling smiled at the scene, seeing Lan Fan so happy.

Lena smirked when she read the next one, "Well, boys and girls who would have thought. It's for Riza from Winry!" Winry tore herself away from her precious gift to grin at Riza, the older woman smiled and took the gift from Lena.

It was a small box made of velvet and Riza opened it carefully. Her eyes widened when she saw what lay there, a pair of beautiful but simple earrings.

Winry moved her own hair out of the way so it exposed her ear and Riza looked at her in surprise, "I got the idea when I remembered our first meeting. That time, I got inspired when I saw you wearing earrings despite being a soldier. That's what also drove me to change but still remain true to myself. I thought you wanted something a bit nicer," the earrings were tear dropped crystals, light blue in color.

Riza smiled warmly and hugged the younger woman, "Thank you Winry, it's beautiful," Riza immediately exchanged her old ones for the new ones and winked, "So, how do I look?" Winry giggled.

"You look like the hottest sharpshooter out there!" Winry laughed and Riza followed.

"Can't argue with that," Roy wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Riza pushed his face away with her hand.

"Roy, stay down," she ordered firmly, slightly flushed.

"...Yes, ma'am," he deflated but perked up when she kissed his cheek.

"Ling! This one's for you here! From Greed," Lena winked, smiling when Ling nodded at her and smiled.

"Let's see what big bad Greed came up with this time," Ling was half afraid to even open his present but bit his tongue and did anyway.

He wasn't disappointed at all, Greed threw an arm around the stunned emperor, "HA! See? Look! I even engraved it buddy!" Greed held up the spiky dog collar, _'Piss-ant'_ written in gold letters, "See? Even in gold baby!" Greed laughed.

Ling sighed, shaking his head, "I knew this day would come..."

"Look! Look! There's more!" Greed snickered.

Ling's face was blank as he lifted up a dark trench coat, sunglasses and a hat, Greed grinned widely, "Hell, we will look like the coolest twins ever!" Ling perked up at that and sighed, smiling.

"Thanks you stupid Homunculus," Ling harshly patted Greed's head, adding a bit more force than necessary behind it.

"Hey, that wasn't the last thing!" Greed himself reached inside under the wrappings to reveal one other present. It was a brand new sword, but it looked darker in color. Ling inspected it curiously, at the hilt, there was a dark dragon, his muzzle pointing toward the shaft of the sword.

"That's none of your fancy pansy swords! I searched out the best blacksmith to forge it. And I coated it with my shield so it's unbreakable in case someone's after your hide except for me," Greed smiled.

Ling's expression remained unreadable for a moment, before he smiled tenderly down at the sword and wrapped one arm around Greed, "Thanks Greed..." he smiled and Greed grinned.

"Ah yeah, my present's the best right?" he elbowed Ling softly and the emperor chuckled, "Of course it is," they both snickered.

Lena smiled and shook her head, picking up the next present, "Oh, oh, I just know this will be hilarious. Oh Greed, ma sweetheart, this one is for you," she grinned.

It was a rather large box and Greed narrowed his eyes suspiciously when he saw the name.

 _From: Ling ^_^ ;-)_

When Greed cleanly ripped the lid off the box his eyes were nearly blinded by how freaking _colorful_ his gift was!

"What the-" Greed's eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he saw just what that crazy psycho bought him.

There were several new _colorful_ robes inside of it, all shiny, outlined with gold and most of all, bursting with color. There was a sleek, black hat too which suited more Greed's current style. Oh shit...there was a fedora in there too. A pair of nice, black simple yet elegant shoes. And...

A shadow fell over Greed's face, there was a book in it. " _How to please your girlfriend, Volume I"_ he saw two other books, " _Ready, Steady, Cum! How to make your girl sing in 5 easy steps!"_ and " _Unlocking the box of Pandora, 12 Signs You are Aging"._

" _PISS ANT!"_ Greed hollered and jumped on top of the stunned emperor, wrestling with him on the floor as he tried choking the life out of him.

Meanwhile, Lena was skipping through some pages of the first book, the one about pleasing your girlfriend and read one sentence to herself, "Hmm... ' _If your girlfriend expresses feelings of distress, the cause may lead to past unresolved problems or desires still undiscovered'_ oh my..." Lena stared weirdly at the book, "Aha... ' _If your love life isn't going as smoothly try experimenting and using methods that suit both of your needs, be open to each-other and be willing to explore-_ "

The book was suddenly ripped out of her hands, "Hey! I was reading that!" she grinned sheepishly when she saw a half beaten up Greed scowling at her.

"No you weren't! We don't need that shit!" Greed tossed the book on Ling's head, who looked worse for wear.

But there was one thing Greed hadn't yet seen. The last item.

With a wary look directed toward Ling, Greed opened the simple box. He froze when he saw the gift inside of it.

It was a Philosopher's Stone, a shard of it anyway.

"Where did you...where did you get this?" Greed stood stunned there, his annoyance completely forgotten as he stared at the blood red shard.

Ling stood up and dusted himself off, walking over toward his best friend, "I found it after our last battle and I thought you may like it, I have no use for it anyway," Ling smiled.

The box shook in Greed's grip, before it fell to the floor and Ling found himself being strangled. No wait...he wasn't being strangled! He was being _hugged_! By _Greed_!

"G-Greed?" Ling asked worriedly, fearing Greed had gone delusional or had a high fever.

Violet eyes were filled with warmth and a tone of sadness, "Ya stupid, crazy prince..." Ling smiled and hugged him back, "What the heck do I need a stupid shard for if I have lunatics like you to worry about," he forced himself not to cry.

Ling however, had no such inhibitions, "Oh Greed! My brother!" Ling bawled over Greed's shoulder, hugging him tightly and for once, the Homunculus allowed it, sighing heavily and hugging the crying man.

Lena smiled, wiping a stray tear from her eyes and looking at the last gift, " _This must be for me..._ " it was rectangular and looked like a book.

Carefully, she lifted it up and grabbed the small card attached to it.

 _To: Lena_

 _From: Ed_

Her eyes widened and she jumped when she noticed Ed standing close to her, a warm smile on his face, "Uh...I'm sorry if it isn't what you wanted, I uh..." he scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Lena smiled softly, "Hey, I'm sure it's great Ed," she carefully unwrapped her present and what she saw made her pause.

It was an album.

" _Fullmetal Heart"_ was written in cursive on top of its dark brown leather surface and she looked up at Ed, who only chuckled and nodded for her to open it.

Slowly, she opened it to the first page and froze.

It was the first picture she remembered taking when she first traveled to her first destination after running away from home at thirteen. That had been in Rush Valley, she could see Garfiel's shop on the other side of the street, a small coffee shop she had visited after and many people passing by. She turned to the next page.

It was her at Leore, a few photos of the towns facilities.

Then at Drachma, where she accidentally wondered off to after aimlessly walking around and losing her map. The next page showed her back in Amestris, in Central.

On the next page was Lena with Winry, both smiling and grinning at the camera. Lena had looked more nervously in the camera and she smiled fondly, remembering how hesitant and nervous she had been meeting so many new, amazing people.

The next picture showed Greed's beaten form on the ground and Lena's foot on top of his head, standing victorious. That had been after fighting Greed when he had come to seek her out at the Rockbell's place, she couldn't remember anyone even taking a picture of that. Underneath it was written " _The Slain Homunculus, Part 1"_ Lena found out there were two other similar photos of her beating up Greed, oh jeez.

There was one where Ed had been teaching her about alchemy through books, she was sitting on the floor next to him, smiling brightly and listening while Ed had gestured something with his hands, a transmutation circle drawn with a chalk on the floor boards.

Another picture showed her with Al, carrying grocery bags and being jumped on by a happy Den at their arrival.

Tears started gathering in her eyes the more pictures she saw and when she turned to the next page it was empty but one sticky note attached to it, " _The adventure never ends,"_

Tearfully, she closed the book and placed it on the table, she looked up at Edward, who grinned at her nervously, "I-I wasn't so sure if it would be a good idea, I had to fight with Greed over the pictures so I could get all of them in. A-and I uh asked Win about a few other pictures too, then I kept running around everywhere to find a good album and I fought with some stupid jerk at the shop because he wanted to buy the same book and they only had one left-"

He nearly choked when Lena threw herself on him, her arms wrapping around his neck. She was silent but for the quiet sobs shaking her body as she held her friend close to her, her face buried in his warm sweater.

Ed remained frozen for a minute, feeling her tears soak through his sweater before he smiled warmly and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hugging her back.

She sobbed, gripping at his sweater, "T-t-thank you E-Ed...thank you s-s-so much..." the tears continued to come and Ed soothingly rubbed her back.

"Anytime, Lena, anytime," he smiled and rested his chin on top of her head, feeling content he didn't screw up his present after all. Winry smiled at the scene, glad it worked.

Greed observed how she cried in Ed's arms and sighed, smiling at the scene too, Ling grinned wickedly, "You're jealouuusss," he drew out the last part and Greed slammed his fist in his face.

"Shut the hell up piss-ant, he's her friend," he smiled and sighed, "I've been a damn moron to think otherwise," his gaze softened.

Ling smiled and nodded.

"You ok down there?" Ed whispered playfully when he sensed her crying ceased.

With a hoarse voice from crying Lena whispered back, "Don't act so smug just because y-your taller," he chuckled and shook his head.

Lena smiled and patted his back, "Thanks Ed...I love it," Ed smiled and blushed, scratching the back of his neck.

"You're such a dork," Ed frowned and Lena laughed at his insulted face.

"Oooh! Look who's standing under a mistletoe!" Winry suddenly shouted out and all eyes fell on...

Oh, oh.

"No..." Greed's horrified gaze moved up toward the herbs dangling above his head, " _Hell_ no!"

Ling grinned, "Greed-chan!" he spread his arms out, "Come here brother!"

Greed's eyes widened, ripping the door open and fleeing out into the snow, " _I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE STRANGLED THAT IDIOT WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE! DAMN IT ALL!"_

Everyone started laughing when they saw Den chasing after Greed, barking at him with Ling comically running after them to try and catch the runaway Homunculus.

"Merry Christmas everyone!" Alphonse announced happily, laughing along.

"Yeah, merry Christmas!" Ed hollered into the night, the soft snow of Resembool covering the roof of their home, the lights inside the house giving it a lively, more warm appearance.

The Rockbell house felt finally what it hadn't felt like in years.

A home.

* * *

 **Uh...I'm SO SORRY for the delay! I really hope I didn't screw it up! Reviews are very much appreciated! :) Thanks for reading!**


	84. You're better than that

**QUESTION:** Anyone interested that I include **Greed-twin** (you know, Mr. Hot stuff with yellow eyes and a feather hanging beside his ear? The Greed-OC-looalike? Yeah...) in future one shots? Tell me your opinions! **Any ideas for his name? O.o**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:  
Lily: **haha Thanks! I laughed really hard myself while I was writing about Greed-twin ^^ As for Chapters 1 and 2: Yeah, I switched them up on purpose since a friend of mine suggested I should have a more "serious" chapter as a first chapter instead of something funny, apparently to "catch readers attention more" lol. Doubt it will work but it's worth a try haha ;)

 **Pouda-P:** *.* Oh thank you so much my friend! T_T hahah thank you really! Naw, our Greed-chan is cute :3 I thought I wrote it with too much randomness ^^

Scenes and situations borrowed from **FMA Brotherhood Episode 54: Beyond the Inferno!**

* * *

 **You're better than that**

Roy's murderous glare turned to look directly at Ed, who nearly froze in fear at seeing his superior in this state.

His hair was more tousled than usual, his eyes dark and heavy, filled with malicious intent and a promise for a slow, torturous death to any that opposed him, his teeth were bared like a rabid animal ready to unsheathe its fangs at its attacker, his stance was tense and Ed knew he was ready to harm or in the worst case murder him too if it meant getting to his sole target: Envy.

"Fullmetal," he stretched his gloved hand out, the look in his eyes intensified, "I'll be taking that," the Lieutenant was still pointing her gun at the back of his head, her gaze sharp yet an underlying fear veiled beneath it, fearing her worst nightmare may come true.

"No," Ed willed his voice to be firm and authoritative, but he couldn't hide the sliver of fear he felt rooted within him at seeing such a dark side to his superior, to a man he pledged alliance to and his aid in achieving a peaceful future for everyone. This man standing here, this wasn't the man Ed knew and trusted.

As Envy squirmed in his grasp, Mustang's patience was running thin, "That is an _order_ ," under different circumstances, Ed would have pissed his pants, but this was another thing entirely.

He could feel Envy shaking in pure, unadulterated fear in his tight grip, hell and Ed couldn't even blame him. Before he used to think he was very glad he wasn't on the other end of that fire, but now, he wasn't so sure anymore with how heatedly Mustang was glaring at him.

"Give it to me right _now_ ," it seemed Mustang's patience had seen better days, the undeniable order was growled from the depths of his stomach, a guttural sound that even made Ed sweat in trepidation and fear.

He steeled his nerves and swallowed, "No, I won't," he was glad his voice got out firm and clear, in this situation Mustang behaved like a aggressive, wounded animal.

Show fear in the presence of the superior and you're dead in the next second, that's how Ed felt like now.

Sparks danced on the tips of Roy's fingers, the air drumming with unreleased energy and Ed sensed that either he would burn him alive from the inside or burn him and Envy whole. He could see the bloodlust in Mustang's eyes and he swore he never wanted to again.

Ed's gaze was unflinching, rivaling Mustang's own darker one, none of them willing to back down at all. Even with the small beads of sweat running down his face, Ed had no intentions of backing down, not when Mustang seemed to lose himself in his want for vengeance and the satisfaction of single handedly murdering the killer of his best friend.

"That _thing_ deserves the worst death possible," the worlds were growled out lowly, it didn't even sound like Mustang's anymore and Ed's doubt doubled. Envy shook again in his grip.

Edward bit his lips and said firmly, "No-"

"Give him to me or I'll burn your hand along with it!" electric-like currents surged around Mustang's poised fingers with destructive power and that display of authority and murder intent caused a chain reaction inside of Ed.

He took a bold step forward and barked back, "Try it then! If it's a fight you want, _fine,_ but first maybe you should take a good look at your face!" he pointed at him, feeling his anger and disappointment rising at what a truly horrific sight Mustang could turn to become.

Roy's eyes darkened the further Ed talked, "Is _that_ the face you plan to wear when you're leading this country!? Well, is it?!" Ed's anger boiled over, "Is that what you wanna be Colonel?! Another _monster_?!" the blue electric-like currents didn't stop, dancing the dance of death upon Roy's fingers if he only flicked his wrist...

Roy's mind conjured up a distant memory, back when Hughes was still alive and they were participating in the one sided annihilation of Ishval...

"... _It seems like the least we tiny humans can do for each-other."_ _Roy and Hughes were staring off into the distance, farfetched dreams and big visions for the future in front of them._

 _Hughes turned to look at his friend, "You've got my support, but you could've just asked me. It ought to be fun to watch though, it may even do some good," Hughes grinned then._

Roy's expression darkened, narrowed eyes twitching in barely restrained anger to unleash on that tiny, pathetic thing of a Homunculus and banish it to the pits of hell. His hand tightened, sparks flying.

"Are you becoming a beast? Giving in to its passion? You can if you want to," the words were from none other than Scar, the bite in his tone undeniable and an evident hint of mutual understanding for Mustang's current predicament.

Scar crossed his arms, his gaze narrowed toward Mustang, "I won't stop you from giving in to revenge,"

Ed whipped his head around, not believing his ears, "Hey!" this was _not_ helping their situation damn it!

"What right do _I_ to stop someone from taking vengeance?" Ed's glare softened in understanding, thinking back to what horrible things the man must have been through thanks to the war and the annihilation of his people, "But still, I shudder to think what kind of world a man held captive by his own hate would create once it becomes its _ruler_ ," Scar's gaze remained unflinching on Mustang, who froze.

"Colonel," Riza brought him out of his reverie, "I can't let you kill him," those words ignited his very veins, "That being said, I have no intention of letting him live, _I'll_ dispose of him,"

Mustang's tightened fists shook in barely suppressed anger, "But I did it! I finally ran him down!"

"I _know_ that!" Riza's voice rose sharply, "But still," her grip on her gun tightened, shaking in her hold, "But still...you're about to do something reckless. This will not help, not your country or your friends!" Roy grit his teeth, his anger still burning brightly just beneath the surface, fingers still poised to deliver their final judgment upon the cowering form of Envy in Edward's hand.

"This is pure hatred and I will _not_ let it take you!" Riza's gaze lowered, fierce eyes softening in sadness and hopefulness, "You're better, I know you're better than that," her voice broke into a softer tone, pleading with him to push aside his hatred and come to his senses.

Ed watched the scene with rapt attention, " _Whoa...this is...this is getting out of hand. But Hawkeye managed to strike something in him, at least I hope,"_ un uneasy feeling settled in the pit of Ed's stomach, refusing to leave as his eyes fixed on the Colonel.

Scar's gaze remained focused carefully on the Colonel, not trusting him to come to his senses quite yet. The pure murder intent and hatred in his eyes said it all, that was a mean out for blood and there was very little someone like that could deter of his senseless route for revenge until that thirst had been sated. Red eyes trailed over to the Lieutenant holding the gun to his head, " _That woman...she's serious, she would shoot him should he choose to step out of line completely and kill Envy. And yet,"_ he zeroed in on the shaking gun and the underlying fear in her eyes, " _She still believes he would come to his senses, she would shoot him, but not without a price,"_ he frowned.

 _"_ _Can I...can I truly...let this go? Let this...this_ _ **vermin**_ _go that killed Hughes?!"_ Roy clenched his teeth, " _No...I-I can't...I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I let the monster that killed my best friend and Alicia's father to flee from my grasp! Not when I'm so close to finally avenging him!"_ sparks flew in a display of warning and a promise of fire.

" _Hey,"_ Roy's eyes widened, recognizing the familiar voice he thought he would never hear again, " _What are you doing? I thought you wanted to lead this country to glory, I thought you wanted to end this endless cycle of hatred. So what are you doing now Roy?"_ the voice of Hughes reprimanding him inside his own mind made him freeze.

" _H-Hughes? Hughes!"_ his mind was screaming, torn between his imagination and the harsh reality staring into his face, Envy's pathetic, weak form which he could so _easily_ turn to ashes...

Images flashed before his tightly shut eyes, images of his best friend when they enrolled in the military, the Ishval war, Hughes, lying in a pool of his own blood, the photo of his precious family he so deeply cared about lost beneath the thick liquid. His funeral, his wife and daughter crying and mourning his death, Roy's own tears as they slid down his cheek. And lastly...

Hughes smiling and waving cheerfully at him, it seemed surreal, a faded memory now, but it was still there. It was still there but just that. A memory. Hughes would never come back no matter how hard he tried. But...he...he had the chance to atone for this...to finally destroy the creature that has taken his best friend, his _brother_ away from him!

He clenched his jaw tightly with strain, hands hurting with how much force he applied to dig his blunt nails in the fabric of his gloves and the flesh they covered beneath. He exhaled, a long, drawn out exhale which made his very tense shoulders slump slightly, as if in defeat.

Roy's voice seemed quieter, but it still retained its hoarse, lethal tone, "If you're going to shoot me, shoot me...but then after you've done that, what will you do?" he didn't miss the hitch in her voice, the sound of the gun shaking in her grip. He wanted, he _needed_ to know her answer.

She was a strong, independent woman. Would she move on? Go up the ranks and fulfill his dream? Drop out from the military and live a normal life? Roy almost shook his head at himself, no...that was impossible. She couldn't live a normal life, just as less as he could if he tried. Too many things happened, too many scars showed and too much blood had been spilt to even _think_ about leading a normal life after everything they've been through.

Riza however, surprised him with her answer, "I can tell you I have no intention of continuing on by myself. This fight will be my last, once all of this is over I'm going to end my life and remove the secrets of flame alchemy from this world!" her tone was firm, no doubt would she really carry on with her plan should she shoot him now.

His fists clenched and he finally released all the anger and deep seated hatred inside him in one deadly explosion.

The explosion of fire accumulated in an empty cobblestone way and diminished slowly, leaving behind a soft, warm light that enveloped them both, as if soothing the burns from the vicious fire, "That...can't happen." His voice was quiet, subdued.

His gaze was downcast, dark eyes sad at the prospect of Riza ending her life because of him, "I can't...I can't afford to lose you," his words were sincere, from the bottom of his heart and he hoped she understood the depth of his feelings.

Roy's fists shook, "What kind of madness is this?" his gaze moved to Ed, "Scolded by a child," his eyes turned to Scar, "Lectured by a man who was made my enemy,"

Roy turned his head, "And you," he turned fully around to face her, a flash of fear and worry etched onto her beautiful face, "I've done it again, I've hurt you..." the sadness and shame he felt couldn't be put into words, at least not any words he knew.

"How foolish can one man be..." he shook his head at himself.

Roy slowly walked toward Riza and gently placed his hand upon the gun and her own, lowering it slowly to the ground. He knew he had no right to say those words but he did anyway, "Please...forgive me," he wouldn't blame her if she didn't, he himself never could.

His strength left him and he allowed himself to fall soundlessly to the floor, gaze downcast. Riza looked down at the Colonel's pacified, saddened form and immense guilt swarmed her mind. She dropped down to the floor as well, gun next to her.

"I'm sorry Lieutenant..." Roy's bangs covered his solemn eyes, afraid to look at her, see the disappointment he could never bear to witness come from _her_. If it were anyone else, he would take it in stride but from her...he couldn't bear to be looked upon by her as the thing Edward had called him before, a monster. A monster he had truly come close to be, more than he already felt like.

Riza smiled sadly, saying nothing.

Then Roy did something that surprised her more than it did Edward and Scar. Roy leaned forward and grabbed her uninjured shoulder, pulling her into his chest and hugging her to him tightly. His body was shaking with the force of his suppressed sobs as he held her tighter than anything else he ever had, "I'm sorry..." he repeated the words over and over again, cradling her head and back.

She remained unresponsive for a few moments, until she smiled and rested her head next to his, hugging his broader frame back. "Colonel, it's alright," she sighed into him, relief washing over her in tremendous waves that he was back, that her Mustang was back.

He was back and never will he allow to fall into the dark abyss he had fallen in that day. And in case he should, he always had the light that brought him back, or that killed him on his journey to darkness.

She was his light and the loaded gun behind his head when the dark tendrils nipped at his consciousness and threatened to overpower him, she was there to keep a cool head and remind him who he was.

It was time he became worthy of who she thought he was. A man with dreams of leading this country to the peace they all hoped and wished for.

A man who was just a man. Just a human.

And for that, he thanked the stars for allowing her into his life.

"I'm sorry Lieutenant,"

"It's alright, Colonel"

He smiled.

 **Phew...oh god...I rewatched that scene in the episode and came EXTREMELY close to crying... Oh that Royai scene! (melts) READ ABOVE NOTES FOR A QUESTION PLEASE!**


	85. Because I Could

**QUESTION: Any ideas/requests for Kimblee? I sort of want to write him :3**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **1-800fangirl:** (blushes) :3 Aw uh, t-thanks so much! I'm glad I didn't screw it up o.o Hmm..."suave" huh? Hmm...Aaron? Adrian? Leon? Yup, obviously I don't have the brain for making up names today T_T (cries tears of joy) Oh thank you so much! :) haha I really like reviews like yours (not because of the compliments, but they are nice too ;)) because then I can see what was good/not good and what I can still improve. And you have my sincere thanks for the compliment, I'm glad my one shots aren't starting to get boring, because I thought they had!

 **Emma:** Hmm...Deerg (reverse Greed huh?) Well, I was thinking of some "smooth, suave" name to fit his character and style, though I have trouble making one up .

 **GrumpyCatWriter101:** haha Seriously can you read my mind? Maybe I'm getting old and obvious... I wrote on my "ideas for chapters" chapter 35, I think?, about the same situation with Barry the Chopper, where Riza actually goes on a date with him and Roy gets jealous, though I can tone it down on the comedy if you like :)

 **WARNING:** Kimblee fic! A bit of blood and gore ahead people! And mind games, because...well it's Kimblee the Philosopher ^^

* * *

 **Because I Could**

The three friends clad in uniform sat on boxes in a circle, their gazes downcast, looking at the sand beneath their feet as their minds were clouded by the grotesque events prior to this day. The order from the higher ups to exterminate the Ishvalans, a one sided annihilation in a futile attempt to bring an end to the long war and shorten any more casualties than they already suffered.

Riza spoke first, in a low voice, "Maybe you can answer this Major, why are we being ordered to kill citizens when we should be the ones _protecting_ them?" her eyes said it all, the eyes of a killer, "I thought alchemy was meant to be used to _help_ people, so why is it being used to kill them instead?"

Roy's gaze shared the same dark, drained look like his friend, but no matter how hard he tried, he didn't know the answer to that question. He was just as desperate as she to know why they were being forced to do these inhumane actions against their own people, against innocent human beings.

Suddenly, a new voice sounded from a few feet across from them, "Because that's the job we State Alchemists have been given to do," the soldier clad in uniform held his metal cup in his hand as he spoke evenly, "You asked why we are here killing these people instead of protecting them? Because this is a _war_ and that's what _soldiers_ do." He opened his closed eyes, which were the color of a icy blue that equally represented his attitude, "Isn't that right?" the question almost seemed mocking and Roy's brows furrowed in annoyance.

" _That guy...why does he have to interfere in our conversation?"_ an uneasy feeling settled into the pit of Roy's stomach, "You think this is our _job_? To cause tragedy?" Roy grit his teeth when the man seemed indifferent.

He rubbed his chin as if in thought, "Well, that's how it seems but let's see." His cold, even gaze turned to Riza, "Tell me miss, you're not very happy to be here are you? Well, you don't appear to be," at this, Riza's look turned grim and she avoided his piercing eyes, opting to stare at the ground, soaked in blood and sand.

She felt suddenly uneasy, sick to her stomach when the air around her turned frightfully cold as the man started to speak again, and when she lifted her gaze to look at him, she almost froze in fear at how truly piercing and terrifying his gaze truly was as his razor sharp voice cut through the air, "But can you honestly tell me, in that split second when you take down an enemy, you don't allow yourself to feel the slightest tinge of _satisfaction_ and _pride_ in your skills?" at Riza's horrified look, he smirked coldly, tauntingly, "Well, miss marksman?"

Roy's patience ran out when he shot up from his seat and stormed toward the male, grabbing him roughly by the scruff of his uniform, "That's enough Kimblee!" his voice was a growl at how his words had such an impact on Riza, on everyone.

The soldier called Kimblee however, didn't stop, looking directly at Roy, the coldness never leaving his eyes, "I'll tell you what I don't get, did you people honestly expect something different? You act like you're _surprised_ , like you didn't _choose_ this," Kimblee was undeterred from Roy's rough grip around the collar of his shirt.

Roy faltered for a second at his words which were undeniably true.

"Did you put on that uniform thinking you _wouldn't_ be asked to kill?" Kimblee shoved Roy's hand away, which had already slackened its hold on him from his truthful but cold words, "The one thing worse than death is to avert your eyes _from_ it," Kimblee's voice took on a cutting edge, a threat underlying his words as he leaned in closer to Roy.

"Look _straight_ at the people you kill, _don't_ take your eyes off them for a _second_. And don't _ever_ forget them, because I _promise_ that _they_ won't forget _you_ ," Kimblee's words pierced something inside all of them, it was terror, it was disgust at his lack of compassion, it was...

 _The truth._

* * *

Kimblee frowned, perched on top of a roof of a still intact building that managed to get away with mere bullet holes and some destroyed rubble here and there.

He surveyed the area of what was once a battlefield before him with a cold, calculating look. No...this wasn't a battlefield, it had been a one sided annihilation and he knew it. The people they have come to eliminate hadn't even been armed, had no chances of protecting themselves from powerful State Alchemists like they were.

His keen eye sight spotted the trio he had talked to earlier, Mustang, the markswoman and one other soldier Mustang seemed to be friends with. He snorted in disgust.

" _Such naïve fools, enrolling into the military and being surprised they killed people? How foolish,_ " he spat in his mind, temper flaring slightly when he remembered the horrified look on the woman and Mustang's face as he spoke of the truth about war.

To others, he may be ruthless and cold, but he saw it differently. He said nothing but the truth, however cruel it may be. He wasn't the type to lace his words with comforting tones if he knew there was no other alternative.

And suddenly, he heard a whimpering sound from somewhere behind him. When he turned toward where he thought was the source, he spotted a still intact piece of rubble of what was once a wall of a building, the corner, a perfect hiding spot for possible survivors.

A small smirk played on his lips as he flexed his hands, feeling the air around him humming with unreleased, alchemical power. There was a long, dark cloth covering the inside of the corner and Kimblee swiftly removed it.

His suspicions were correct when they revealed a little boy, but it wasn't an Ishvalan. He had pale skin, dark hair tied into a longer pony tail and slanted, bright blue eyes. In a bizarre way, he reminded him of Kimblee himself, but that was as far as similarities went.

The boy's fear increased when he saw Kimblee and the gun strapped to his back and he cowered pathetically, as if physically shielding himself with his little arms could protect him from his impending doom.

Usually, Kimblee wouldn't waste his time on killing his target, but his orders were eliminating the Ishvalans. And this child wasn't one. Still, he rose an eyebrow in confusion.

" _What is this child doing here? It's certainly no Ishvalan so how did it get here?"_ for a split second, Kimblee was tempted to inquire the child about its origins and its purpose being here but he was interrupted.

"Having problems, Kimblee?" the soldier turned his head toward the source of the voice and found a man that was part of his group. He didn't know him by name, he hadn't bothered for such formalities nor did he care, but the man's stance had irked him some.

Kimblee remained silent and the man's venomous green eyes turned down to look at the crying child, who had silenced himself by biting on his little hand, blood slowly trickling from the small wound inflicted by his teeth.

For a brief moment, Kimblee was surprised at the child's pain tolerance but it quickly vanished when the soldier scoffed in disdain.

"What are you waiting for? Kill it, Kimblee," the man took out a cigarette, casually lighting it as if they weren't about to end a very young life.

Something inside Kimblee forced him to say his next words, "This child isn't an Ishvalan," he paused to gauge the other soldier's reaction and he received a blank look, "My orders aren't to kill a non Ishvalan," the words even surprised Kimblee himself the moment they left his lips.

The soldier seemed caught off guard, but hid it well with a bark of laughter, the child flinched at hearing the sharp sound, "Oh? The Crimson Alchemist is hesitant to kill fodder now? What happened? Grown soft Kimblee?" he taunted, laughing with his cigarette in his mouth.

Kimblee noticed the child shaking in fear, trying to mold himself to the wall to be invisible to his potential killers.

The State Alchemist felt his ire increasing, "Let's take our leave, the child will be taken care of by someone else," Kimblee made a move to walk forward, but the man had his rifle out, aimed at the terrified child, who, much to his surprise, tried acting tough, blinking back the onslaught of tears and staring the soldier pointing a gun at him straight in the eyes, his frame shaking.

Kimblee arched a brow at the hostile act, "Why should we? We can take care of the trash right away ourselves," the soldier grinned in sadistic glee, loading his rifle.

Something inside Kimblee made him look at the child again, while not related by blood, the child vaguely reminded Kimblee of himself, back then when another war had been waged and his father had been brutally killed by a soldier in front of his eyes.

He blamed it on the sudden memories, on the annoying cries of the terrified child for what he did next.

Kimblee walked in front of the child which made the soldier frown, "Hey now Kimblee, what are you doing? Get out of the way and let me kill it," Kimblee frowned, his gentlemanly mannerisms slowly dissipating to leave the mad bomber that he was known to be in his wake.

When he opened his eyes, they were the same threatening ice cold blue yet blazing as he glared the soldier down, "I don't think so," his voice was low and lethal, "You see, I have a penchant for loud explosions...and I've wondered what your body may sound like when it combusts from the _inside_ ," a smirk grew on his lips as he watched with rapt attention how the body of the annoying soldier exploded before his very eyes, droplets of blood spraying on his uniform and all around him.

He relished the loud sound of cracking bones, combusting insides and the explosion itself. It may not have been his best piece of art, but it had felt good to be gone of such a nuisance.

He heard a small whimper and he turned his head, the child was staring up at him, but contrary to the emotions he thought should be there.

Instead of fear the child bore a small sense of curiosity, caution and pain. Kimblee's mind wandered, " _This child...why doesn't he fear me suddenly? He had feared me before, so why not now?"_

He turned fully around, regarding the boy with an arch of his brow when the boy spoke quietly, "Will you kill me?"

Mildly surprised by the boy's forward question, Kimblee answered truthfully, "My orders are to kill Ishvalans, but you're not an Ishvalan," he paused, "Why are you here?"

The child gripped his bleeding arm, the one he had bitten into in an attempt to silence his whimpers and replied, "My parents were killed by Ishvalans...I...I thought they were taken hostage here but I saw an Ishvalan kill them..." the boy appeared eloquent in speech, perhaps Kimblee had deduced his age wrong, he had close to no experience with children so he couldn't tell.

The boy looked back up at Kimblee, "W-why did you kill him? W-wasn't he your friend?" he was referring to the now dead soldier.

Kimblee smiled, "No, just a nuisance." That was all he would answer, his eyes zeroed in on the bleeding wound, "You're brave, for a child." The boy looked down at his hand.

"I thought he would kill me if I made a sound," Kimblee chuckled at the child's naivety.

"He would have killed you regardless," in a bizarre way, it felt a bit refreshing speaking to a child so openly. It usually disgusted him when parents would sweet coat their words and tell the children a morphed form of the truth, or a complete lie.

The boy remained silent, but regained courage to speak after a minute, "But why did you save me?" the child was more perceptive than Kimblee would have ever given him credit for.

He looked up at the sky, "I may be a dog of the military, but not even I appreciate the sight of a mongrel killing someone who is not their target," the child seemed to process these words.

"I'm not an Ishvalan, that means I'm not your target, but you kill just because you can, right?" the words caught Kimblee completely off guard, his eyes widening at the child's analysis of him.

The boy didn't seem to be deterred, "You like explosions, you don't care if lives are lost by the result of a war or any other conflict and you love to hear the sound explosions make, that's why you love your alchemy," Kimblee stood on alert, not knowing who this boy was or how it knew so much about him.

"Who are you?" Kimblee narrowed his eyes down at the boy but his gaze remained unflinching even under Kimblee's lethal glare, the atmosphere changing its tune to a threatening, anticipating one.

"I'm S.J.," he replied simply, not bothering to fully introduce himself nor why he knew the things he did about Kimblee.

"S.J.?" Kimblee's brow arched and he felt uneasiness settle inside of him, "What is your full name?"

The boy with icy blue eyes smiled, his voice echoing in his head "Solf J. Kimblee,"

* * *

Kimblee's eyes shot open and he violently shot up from his futon, perspiration coating his body in a thin layer of sweat he tried to steady his breathing.

He rested one hand on the side of his face, trying to ban the images from his mind.

His parents killed by an Ishvalan in front of him, being trapped in a warzone he had been sure he would die in, eventually enrolling in the State military later on and becoming its dog and learning alchemy.

Why did he dream this? To his logical, calculating mind it made no sense imagining his child self in the situation back when they had gotten the order for the extermination, how his adult self had actually protected his younger version.

 _"_ _I'm not an Ishvalan, that means I'm not your target, but you kill just because you can, right?"_ the words of the child in his dream, or rather, his own words, echoed in his mind.

 _Just because I can._

 _Just because I can..._

Kimblee smirked, closing his eyes and listening to the sounds of his own grand explosions as the people around him screamed in terror and fear.

 **Oh shit...** wow, never planned on the story taking _this_ turn of events...there wasn't even supposed to be a child version of him there at all! I just...wrote with the flow...o.o lol Opinions are appreciated!


	86. The Simplicity of Things

I'm BACK! (thankfully) So, today is basically the last day of my **frequent** updating! School starts tomorrow (cries) and exams are already waiting for me on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to complete (damn my schedules full .) which means I'll be able to update in the weekend after the horror trip is over.

In this case, I would like to cite one character which has been part of one of the first animes I've ever watched and fell in love with, **_"I heard that she has to fight some kind of weak demon called Entrance Exam," – Inuyasha._** T_T Oh Inu...you poor naïve little hanyou...

 _Ahem_...right, like I said, those not-so-weak demons called exams will come to bite me in the ass sooner or later (I hope never) and so I'm afraid I'll need to take a break from writing. :/ Ugh, pure torture for me . **BUT** I'll try to publish something today in the afternoon too! :)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **1-800fangirl:** T_T (cries and hugs you) Thanks so much for the praise! I really appreciate it! :) Yeah, you're right about that, though I have the feeling like he isn't just the crazed, cold blooded killer slash gentleman he presented himself as. There are always things that happen in the past that shape the person for the future and I was always curios what his background could be that made him like that, I plan to elaborate on that in future chapters about him ;) Hm..Pride huh? I thought of him too, but then I chose a younger version of Kimblee since I tried making a connection between the war and his decision to save the child, where normally he probably wouldn't have. I used the soldier to represent the soldiers that had killed his parents, a soldier willing to kill a child just because it's there and not for his orders, I had a thought Kimblee wouldn't let that one slide. Haha and thank you for the compliments, it makes me wan to write more! :) P.S. ... **SORRY FOR THE LONG REPLY T_T**

 **GrumpyCatWriter101:** ^_^ Thanks!

 **Lily:** Hihi, thanks Lil! Hope it wasn't too...dark? XD

 **Emma:** Yeah that sounds about right...hmm...or maybe instead of translating "Greed" we could use words commonly associated with the sin (maybe even in different languages)? Hm..

 **Cassey:** Any specific situation or should I come up with anything but just that they are good? ^^

 **Jadasimone16:** Oh, "interested" in Winry huh? Hm...if ya want I could write a one shot with that idea, any details or should I come up with something? :)

 **Enjoy everyone! :)**

 **The Simplicity of Things**

After Kimblee had finished his speech about war and infuriating Mustang of his frank, cold words, the Flame Alchemist had looked at his friend from the military academy days and asked one question that had kept nagging him since the start of this extermination operation, "Hughes...what are your reasons for fighting?" he clenched his fists.

Maes Hughes stopped, turning his head to catch his friend's eyes and said simply, "It's simple really, I don't want to die,"

* * *

"Lieutenant, what is your reason for staying by my side and not choosing a different path to take? You didn't have to enroll in the military," Mustang looked at his most trusted and precious Lieutenant, his "Queen".

She didn't smile, but the warmth in her eyes was unmistakable, "After the death of my father, you told me if I ever needed anything I could come to you," Roy stiffened, remembering the tragic death of his mentor when Riza and him were still young and naïve.

Riza however wasn't finished, "My father had never been like others and I've gotten used to not being showered with affections. But his death made me lose my home as well. So, I searched for my second home and came to you," her eyes showed her emotions, her smile was professional, ever the professional Riza he came to know, but her words what pierced his heart.

Roy seemed stunned and for a moment, amusement laced Riza's words as she took the files she needed from his desk and turned around to exit the office, "Most reasons to justify why people have done the things they did are simple, Colonel."

His Lieutenant's words continued to swarm his mind as he sat alone at his desk.

* * *

"Mhm! This is _good_!" Ling commented in-between mouthfuls of food he stuffed into his mouth, savoring each and every bite.

Ed stared at him with a blank look, his right eye twitching, "You don't say..." his tone was dry, his mind calculating just how much this was gonna cost him.

Ling stopped his eating and swallowed the food in his mouth," You know, you should try to relax every once and a while." Ed shot him a displeased look.

"Relax? I have to find a way to get Al's body back! I can't just _relax_!" Ed snorted, his irritation at the prince growing.

Ling however didn't seem to mind his snappish attitude, instead he continued calmly, looking at the passing people fondly, "Hm...we may not know each-other closely but, from what I gathered, you've been so fixated on getting your bodies back that you have neglected everything else," Ed froze and Ling smiled.

"Children who are happy to get some sweets from their parents, parents who are happy when their young ones are, people who smile when they eat good food, people who smile when they see someone they missed, people that do things that make them happy..." Ling looked directly at Ed, "You haven't done many things that made you happy did you?"

Against his better judgment, a image of Winry appeared in his mind and Ed blushed, crossing his arms stubbornly.

Ling chuckled, "Simple things like food can already brighten your whole day. When you eat good food, you feel good too," Ling looked at his own plate, " _I always think we are fortunate to get to eat every day,"_ **(A/N: I borrowed this particular sentence from Rock Inmate Nr. 1369, from the anime Nanbaka, Episode 11)**

 **"** Simple things like that alone can change a whole person, it can move someone to change something in their life, to take the initiative and fix the things they're unpleased about. I'm willing to gain immortality in order to help my country and bring an end to the things plaguing it, poverty, violence, the concubine system... None of those things can be changed within a day and who's to say my successor will follow my will once I pass from this world? If I gain immortality I'll make sure to follow through these changes till the end so that my people will be happy again,"

Ed and Alphonse listened attentively to the prince, the same prince that seemed like a dumb, spoiled brat eating their money away a minute ago, showed this amount of thinking and understanding.

"Y-Your reason for wanting immortality is to...make your people happy?" Ed inquired, wanting to make sure.

Ling smiled brightly and nodded, "It's that simple,"

* * *

"Winry...may I ask you something?" Garfiel leaned against the wall and watched Winry stop her work and take off her goggles, giving him her full attention.

"Yes, Garfiel? What is it?" she tilted her head to the side in curiosity.

Garfiel frowned, an uncharacteristic trait for a cheerful, flamboyant man such as himself, "I was wondering...I believe Edward and Alphonse will achieve his goal and get their original bodies back but...once they have and they plan to travel around like they've said...what will you do?" he winced, hoping his words didn't sound as offending as he imagined.

Winry blinked in surprise before she smiled fondly, "Well, I still have the shop and you here don't I? People back in Resembool and here in Rush Valley depend on me and other mechanics, there will always be people that need engineers and automail, whether it be for limb replacements or simple constructions for their every day needs." Winry rested her gloved hands on her knees, smiling brightly, "Even if Ed and Al decide to travel around the world, I don't have time to sit around and wait all day do I? I'll always welcome them back with open arms, but I've got a life outside of them too. I enjoy my work, I enjoy being a automail engineer and helping people go through their everyday lives easier with my creations."

That caught Garfiel off guard, his eyes wide.

"A farmer can't provide for his family and sell his wares if he has a missing arm or leg, or his machines aren't working properly. That's why they come to us to get limb replacements or to fix their machines they need to make a living. Defensive structures cannot protect a city without its mechanical parts and mechanisms to keep everything running smoothly." Winry paused for a moment, "But it's not just about my work, Granny and Den need me too. And what sort of a person would I be if I dropped everything to sit at home and wait for Ed and Al?" she winked, "They know they're welcome back anytime and they know I have a life outside of them, I may worry about them but...I know Ed will pull through, like he always did,"

Garfiel didn't miss the fond and warm look that crossed her face nor the slight blush dusting her cheeks and he felt a small smirk cover his face before covering it up with a small laugh, "Alright Winry my dear, just be sure to take a break," he smiled.

Winry smiled and nodded, "By the way, how comes you asked Garfiel?"

The man stopped and turned back to look at her before answering, "I just wanted to know if reasons people have are really as simple as many make them believe they are,"

Winry blinked in surprise before she laughed, "Well, no use in making everything complicated if it can be simple right?"

Garfiel chuckled too, "You're right about that,"

 **Rather short one shot but I felt the need to end it here ^^ If I had gone on, I think this would be over 5,000 words and not 1,000 something :3** So, what do you think how was it? :) IDEAS FOR **GREED-TWINS** NAME ARE APPRECIATED THANKS! :D


	87. Prince Charming

**Hey guys!** I decided to take a break from my studies and write up a few one shots! :)

 **VOTE FOR GREED-TWIN'S NAME:**

 **Lucien, Aaron, Blake, Nero, Carlisle, Deerg, Adrian (anymore suggestions are welcomed!)** So which one do you guys like best for Greed-twin?

 **Short INFO on Greed-Twin:**

\- **Is polite**

\- **Makes puns**

\- **A bit flirty**

\- **A gentleman**

\- **Bisexual but feels more drawn to women than men (flirts with men but pursues women more)**

\- **Has a dark side in battle:** combines parkour with martial arts, enhanced strength and speed, enhanced sense of smell and sight

\- **Dislikes/Weaknesses:** cheese especially camembert, guns and other firearms, is allergic to lavender and white lilies, doesn't like authorities and mocks them, dislikes rules, swearing (only swears when battling or angry), becomes easily flustered when a woman reciprocates his advances/flirts.

\- **Likes/Strength:** martial arts, parkour, excellent swordsmanship, food, his boots, clothes from the Victorian Era, likes to wear a dark formal vest over a white shirt, formal black pants and boots, loves puns and cracking jokes, likes making people laugh.

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** Thanks! :)

 **Cassey:** T_T (hides under blanket) Ugh...sorry about that Cassey, sometimes my brain shuts down...

 **Penguin20:** (twinkle) Ooooooh...hm...perhaps so if I can't decide on a name... ^^

 **1-800fangirl:** (fails miserably to suppress squealing) T-t-t-thank you so damn much! (waterfall tears) haha Aw, this review just made my day! :3 Don't worry 'bout it, often times, I complicate things unnecessarily too ;) It's a curse... haha Thank you, I've thought of those scenarios, as well as adding a few side characters too, but none of them really sounded that great in my head so I decided to leave them and see what happens ^_^ Seriously thank you so much! Readers like you are the reason why I don't lose hope in my half-decent writing!

 **GrumpyCatWriter101:** Hmm...Carlisle...not bad...I'll have to think it over this week ^^

 **Bob:** (grins) Thanks buddy! I hope so too .

 **OtakuGirl:** Ahh, I should clarify, I actually meant for Greed-twin to be Garfiel's date for Christmas BUT (as Garfiel also said) Greed-twins a bit of a player, or rather, didn't stick to Garfiel because he wasn't interested enough in him ^^

 **Pouda-P:** hahaha Pepe? Oh that was funny! ^^ Maybe Jar-Jar...peppino! Philipe!...Ok I get random at times too with the names :P haha thank you! :)

 **Panic:** Yay, my panic buddy! (hugs) Jeez, I've meant to send out a search troop in this chapter, but I thought that life (as we all love and hate xd) got in the way so I didn't want to appear nosy, but I missed ya girl! :D Ah yeah, about the secret santa one shot, I thought of the possibility, but since my brain tends to take many different routes while writing a chapter, I've thought that route was too cliché and...let's say "overused" so I thought it a lot better to expand a bit on the friendship between everyone! :) Hmm..Kyle huh? Gotta make a list...XD Aw, thank you! (bows) Ah, so many compliments and praises, my kukoro! (grips heart) T_T Ugh...my lovely readers are killing me with compliments but I love you all just the same! (waterfall tears)

 **NOTE: "** ** _Text"_** **– bold and** ** _cursive_** **means all (Mr. Cheng, Fu and Dr. Rockbell say the sentence at the same time)**

 **Enjoy! :)**

 ** _Disclaimer:_** **I don't own the comic I've used here to write as inspiration! :) Also, I recommend (because it's simply my favorite) to listen to the Comic Dub version of Phantom Savage "Miraculous Ladybug – Handsome Prince", simply because I think the voice acting is more touching :3 BUT you don't have to! ;)**

* * *

 **Prince Charming**

 _"_ _Papa! When I grow up I'm going to meet my prince and my one true love, just like in the story!" a little Winry giggled, sitting on her father's lap and looking at the pictures and the script of her favorite story._

 _Her father laughed, the doctor's eyes appearing warm and kind as he listened to his daughter, "He's going to be very handsome and dreamy too right?" Winry grinned happily at her father, snuggling into his side as his deep bubbling laughter sent soothing vibrations through her side._

* * *

 _"_ _Yes! You definitely will one day sweetie," grandfather Fu smiled kindly at his young granddaughter, affectionately patting her head._

 _Lan Fan smiled up at him, her dark brown eyes shining brightly at the man she always considered a parent, a father, to her since she never met her real ones. Fu's wise eyes softened as he continued talking..._

* * *

 _"_ _But you know, Mei, there's going to be a lot of handsome princes out there," the kind leader of the Cheng family grinned down at his daughter, gently pinching her cheek, which made her giggle._

 _Her father continued, "You won't be able to find him easily," Mrs. Cheng smiled warmly at the display before her, holding the giggling Ling in her arms, who curiously looked on at what his cousin was doing. He placed a finger under his chin, sticking his tongue out and thinking deeply._

* * *

 _"_ _And your true love, doesn't have to be handsome and dreamy," Mr. Rockbell continued, smiling at the astounded look on his young daughter's face._

 _He knew she didn't have to understand everything he would say to her, she was too young after all, but it wouldn't hurt, "The most important about the prince you need to look for is..."_

* * *

 _"_ _Someone who is brave," grandfather Fu made a brave face, rubbing his nose with his granddaughter's own and making her giggle._

 _He smiled warmly down at her._

 _"_ _...kind," Mr. Cheng patted Mei's head gently, dark eyes shining with fatherly love and affection for his precious daughter._

* * *

 _"_ _selfless..." Dr. Rockbell continued, his wife giggling from her seat on the couch, a book in her hands as she contently listened to her husband teaching her young daughter about the importance of love._

* * *

 _"_ _...protective," Fu chuckled at Lan Fan's amazed look, cradling her protectively in his arms, his eyes held a faraway look, as if looking straight into the future itself._

" ** _Who's always going to be there,"_**

"By your side," Ling smiled, his eyes opening and the black in them nearly melting into dark brown, his gaze affectionate and trained on the blushing, shy Lan Fan, the woman that has been through so much with him and stayed by his side no matter how things got difficult.

* * *

Ed grinned, extending a hand out to her, "Ready to go Win?" he chuckled, his bag slung over his shoulder as he waited for her to take his hand with the other.

Tears sprung to Winry's eyes and a warm smile took residence on her face and when her hand touched his, she just knew it was going to be another exciting adventure ahead of them.

"I just know you're going to break your automail again once we leave," she sighed playfully.

Ed grinned and winked, "Always," she rolled her eyes.

* * *

Mei laughed happily, "Let's go Alphonse!" she cheered and ran around happily, her smaller frame exploding full of energy.

Alphonse smiled widely, not too far behind, "I'm coming Mei," he sent her a wide grin and wound her arm with his, staring down at her adoringly and kissing the top of her head.

Mei blushed happily, "So, where to next?" she asked curiously, tilting her head to the side, Xiao Mei doing the same.

Al smiled and looked out at the vast landscape, "Hm...we've been to Drachma...why don't you decide where we should go next?"

Mei smiled and looked at the grassy hills, "Let's go home..." Al looked at her in surprise for a second until he nodded and smiled.

* * *

Princes come in all shapes and sizes, sometimes they don't appear to be princes at all, but the most important thing is they have a heart that's willing to love and be kind.

Yeah...a fullmetal heart.

 **Ok...I know this is short...aaand...I'm NOT pleased with it! Nu-uh! I'll definitely do a remake of this one! (nods) It didn't really turn out the way I wanted, didn't run as smoothly, so I'll do another one as soon as I can! :)**


	88. I trust you

Oh god...I managed to get a small break in between my studies. I feel drained and exhausted but I'm still alive-ish...

Hihi, hope you enjoy this chapter! **Tell me if you want me to write more things like this!**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Penguin20:** Me too! ^^

 **Bob:** *.* Me too! Lucien is my fav, then comes Adrian but I can't decide.

 **Panic:** Thanks buddy! :3 Ah, they could go better (got some sort of virus after eating something bad :P Feel like hell .)

 **GrumpyCatWriter101:** No matter how old I am, I WILL squeal like a little girl whenever I read such amazing reviews! . ^^ haha Thank you a lot! I could write one in reverse too if there's enough interest.

 **Pouda-P:** haha Thank you! :) I could write a reverse one shot if there's enough interest!

 **WARNING: A bit of fluff, a bit of teasing and some dirty jokes (but nothing too major don't worry!)**

 **NOTE: Greed here is Greedling (but SEPARATED from Ling!)**

* * *

 **I trust you**

Lena furrowed her eyebrows when her boyfriend of three years suddenly froze and retreated from her, his position stiff and almost defensive, like a wounded animal hiding its pain. She tried to reach out to him but the voice he spoke in sent a very uneasy feeling settling into the pit of her stomach.

"Don't," Greed's voice was quiet, so unlike his boisterous, confident self. He had his back to her, clad only in a black undershirt and pants, his dark ponytail spilling on his back and partly his broad shoulders.

Worry marred her face, "Greed?" when he didn't answer, the worry increased, "Greed, what's wrong?" when she placed a warm hand on his shoulder, he flinched back, as if burned.

She recoiled, afraid she had overstepped an invisible line that wasn't there before, "Greed, look at me, please," he still refused to look at her and her worry spiked, "What are you afraid of? What makes you so scared that you refuse to look at me?" she crawled to his front.

She leaned forward and gently tried to lift his face up to her so he looked at her but his eyes remained downcast, "Please, tell me," she begged him softly, hands resting on his shoulders, seeing the building conflict on his face.

He waged a war with himself inside his own mind, whether or not to tell her the truth. Greed had already long realized this woman was holding his very heart in her hands, his very existence, so why was it so difficult for him to express his feelings to her now? In this important moment? Where he showered her with affections when they were alone otherwise.

Greed solemnly lifted his head and looked at her, his gaze uncharacteristically soft and open and said quietly, "I'm sorry..." gently, he removed her hands from his face, feeling more like an asshole than he ever did before at the crushed expression on her face at his actions.

"For what Greed? Why?" Lena tried to understand, she desperately did, but he wasn't making any sense. Just a moment ago he swept her off her feet at her request and they were ready to finally consummate their relationship but then he just...closed himself off. It terrified her to see this angsty, defensive and closed off side of him.

His sharp teeth clenched in frustration at trying to articulate himself, "I'm not...I'm not worthy of this, of you. You deserve better, far better than I can ever give you," his grin was dry and showed how much he loathed himself in this very moment, alone here with her.

Lena sighed, placing her hands on her hips, "Listen you, I'm feeling more scared hearing you talk like that than anything else. Greed, why do you think that? You know I never minded you being a Homunculus," she gently caressed his face but he turned away and, while the action hadn't meant to, it still hurt her.

"I killed, Lena," his gaze met hers, "I killed innocent people, sometimes without even batting an eye. I followed my old man's orders like some damn puppet, I tried to hurt you at one point too. How can you trust a man like that?" Lena smiled warmly, shaking her head. They've already had similar conversations before, but she knew it still bothered him.

Her fingers gently, soothingly gliding over his jaw line as she said her next words in a semi-playful tone, "Are you kidding? Those men are the best ones," she giggled, before turning serious, "Greed, we both did things we regret, we used to be on opposing sides and I tried to hurt you too. But..." her fingers lightly trailed a line down his defined chest and abdomen, "Doesn't this make you feel I trust you? That I trust and love you enough to do this with you?" her gaze softened at his said look, "Stop giving me that kicked puppy look. I want my Greed back," she poked him playfully.

Greed suddenly straightened and wrapped his strong arms around her, "You said you...loved me?" Lena's eyes widened, missing the fact that they have both been reluctant to say that one particular word until now, despite three years of a relationship. She knew, with how much affectionate and devotion he showed her, that they both loved each-other, but were afraid of breaking that spell...afraid that the moment would end.

Usually when happy things happened, something disastrous would follow and take it away.

Swallowing her fear, she nodded into his neck, feeling him relax against her.

He exhaled, as if a great burden had been lifted off him, she felt his warm lips on her neck, gently placing sweet, butterfly kisses along her jaw until he reached her face and kissed each closed eye and cheek.

When she opened her eyes again, he was already looking at her and the sadness and guilt was gone from his eyes, replaced by warmth and love she had grown so accustomed to seeing whenever he looked at her.

He affectionately bumped noses with her, smiling and grinning like the love sick fool he was. She blushed at the attention and he chuckled, "You're more beautiful than you think you know," his hands rested languidly on her waist, fingers moving beneath the fabric of her shirt to massage the warm, bare skin gently, lovingly.

She shook her head, her forehead rubbing against his, "And you're more of a gentleman than you may think," she closed her eyes, feeling his warm breath tickle her face and neck, she couldn't keep the amusement from her voice, "I'm sitting here half naked and all you do is talk about yourself, mister Self-absorbed," she giggled.

Greed chuckled, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear and kissing and sniffing her hair, "Because you're important to me," he locked gazes with her when she opened her eyes in mild surprise, "I wasn't exactly a Casanova, didn't have time for that shit but I've fooled around with some women because I thought it would finally sate my avarice. When I realized it didn't I stopped because the tramps kept calling me all the time,"

Lena rolled her eyes, "Oh, how _dare_ they," her voice was dripping heavily with sarcasm, one eyebrow quirked in mild amusement, she earned a playful pinch to her skin from Greed as punishment.

The Homunculus chuckled and shook his head, "But this is different, you're different. You accepted me for who I am, _what_ I am. You trust me this much to share this with me...why?" his gaze bore into hers and she moved her hands to rest on his chest, feeling his strong beating heart, "Don't make me repeat myself. I love you, idiot," she smiled, a hint of insecurity showing in her eyes when he remained silent.

Greed hugged her again tightly, burying his face in her neck, contently inhaling her scent. He was surprised to find out it was a bit mingled with his own and a small smirk stretched over his handsome face.

Lena of course, noticed, "W-what?" did she smell bad? But she took a shower an hour ago...oh god she smelled...

Seeing the distressed expressions she was making amused Greed, "You smell like me,"

She deadpanned, "I don't know if that's a good thing," he laughed, cradling her closer against his warm body.

He whispered into her ear, "I love it. The scent. It would make every man back off knowing you're taken," again, Lena rolled her eyes, " _Men,_ "

"Greed, not _everyone_ has a superior sense of smell," she felt his grin devilishly against her skin and she shivered at the effect it had on her, damn him.

"Then we will have to show them in another way," she giggled when he rubbed his nose lovingly into her neck and they fell back on the bed, laughing.

Lena poked his chest, "You're such a kid," she pouted.

Greed grinned widely, "But you love me for that," his gaze screamed wickedness.

Her gaze softened, "Meh...kinda," she smiled.

The Homunculus beside her chuckled at her expression, "Don't tell me you didn't figure it out by now?" his expression was heavily amused.

She rose an eyebrow, he laughed, "I love you too you dense girl. I thought that was obvious," she pouted again and he kissed her.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, they briefly broke apart and Lena whispered, "So...are you going to get naked or what?" she grinned, a very Greed-like grin.

This time, it was his turn to roll his eyes, "You can be so damn romantic when you wanna be you know that?" he smirked up at her.

Lena shrugged, resting her hands lightly on his chest, "I learned from the best," she stuck her tongue out.

"Hey, I shower you with affections all the time, little lady," he grunted when she giggled in amusement.

Though his attention was quickly shifted when _she_ shifted above him, his curse was loud and clear and only fueled Lena's amusement, "Very funny," he barked, though his tone lacked any bite nor hostility.

The amused woman above him sighed and leaned down to affectionately peck his lips, "Of course I'm funny, I'm always funny," Greed rolled his eyes and Lena snorted softly, "Not my problem that you're _so easily distracted_ ," she stuck her tongue out playfully.

Greed sent her a dark look, " _Excuse me_ for being a bit _distracted_ when someone's sitting on top of me!" he growled.

Lena smirked and rose an eyebrow in amusement, "Oh? So you would be distracted if _Ed_ was sitting on top of you? Or Mustang? Or _Ling_?" she teased mercilessly and earned a light pinch against her hip.

"You _evil woman_ ," Greed glared at her, "Don't put images into my head I don't wanna have right now!"

He froze when his eyes caught the movement of her shirt sliding off her shoulder a bit, his eyes _sprung_ back to hers, "Uh..."

Lena's smile was secretive and teasing at the same time, a evil twinkle in her eye, "...How about I put images into your head you _want_ to have?" her voice was nearly a purr and a shiver raced up and down Greed's spine, his eyes comically wide.

"Uh..." was his intelligent answer.

Lena just giggled.

* * *

"Lena..." Winry's smirk was positively mischievous, her voice more than just amused.

"Hmm?" the brunette drank some water after a long day of helping Winry out at the field, planting vegetables at the new garden.

"So...how did you sleep last night?" Winry appeared innocent, good thing her back was turned to her friend as she petted Den's head.

The woman in question stretched her arms over her head, "It was good, but I didn't really get that much sleep," she yawned, "Why you asking?" she tilted her head.

Winry turned around, a shadow covering her face and stars practically replacing her eyes, "Oh you know...I had thought Greed would be pretty possessive of you, since he _is_ the sin of avarice himself, but...he did leave a number on you," she winked, a large grin on her face, eyes set on her prize.

Lena's face turned red, hands covering her neck and collarbone as her flannel shirt, which was opened a few buttons due to the heat, had exposed her various hickeys to Winry. Lena had completely forgotten about them! Her fists shook in the air as Winry fled the scene, " _W-W-Winry_!"

* * *

Ed gazed weirdly at Greed who huffed with the strain of carrying one of Winry's newest limb replacements, a large arm the size of Alex Armstrong's whole body, toward the house.

Greed noticed the stare, "What?" he looked weirdly at the blonde in turn.

Ed scratched the back of his neck, pointing at Greed, "Uh...why are you _limping_?" he blinked rapidly.

Despite himself, Greed blushed darkly, turning away from the man and huffing, "I tripped!"

Somehow in some bizarre way, Ed didn't believe a single word he said.

 **I regret nothing. XD Somehow I found a liking to writing a bit of fluff ^^**


	89. Contact List

**ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Penguin20:** Thanks so much! ^^

 **OtakuGirl:** Haha yeah (whistles)

 **Natsu:** ^_^ Thanks Natsu-chan! :D

 **Pouda-P:** (grins) hehe thanks! ;)

 **Panic:** (tears of joy) Oh thanks buddy! :) Never actually written anything that comes close to fluff or smut or lemon so I'm relieved to hear that wasn't horrible...or like something 10-year old would write (sweat drop) Good luck with your exams! :D and thank you (I try staying optimistic!) T.T

* * *

 **Contact List**

 ** _Greed's contact list_**

With a bored sigh, Greed grabbed his black phone and decided to scroll through his contact list.

 **"** ** _Angry Shittard_** **"** Greed snorted in half laughter, thinking of his furious sibling in amusement.

 **"** ** _Angry Shittard's Wife"_** Greed rose an eyebrow, ah...why did he have Mrs. Bradley in here again? Oh...that's right, in case dear ol' Wrath lost control and he needed to be calmed down. Greed swore, that woman of his could even tame the most violent of beasts down with her mere presence. Hell, she managed to even _live_ together with two of the strongest sins in a house! Greed applauded her.

 ** _"_** ** _Bald Sparkling Idiot"_** Greed shivered in mild disgust, thinking of the overexcited grown ass man that tended to behave like a little girl. He still didn't believe him to be related to that cold, ruthless General Armstrong.

 ** _"_** ** _Bottomless pit"_** Hm...he could remember he changed it from " _Hungry Crybaby"_ to this...

 ** _"_** ** _Flame bastard"_** Greed snorted.

" ** _Flame bastard's dangerous girlfriend"_** Greed shivered, remembering the formidable sharpshooter woman he had met on a few occasions. She had been injured on the shoulder before the final battle with the old man but had refused to rest.

 ** _"_** ** _Lion Cub"_** Ahhh...Darius...or wait...was it Heinkel?

 ** _"_** ** _Monkey"_** _Aha!_ So _that_ was Heinkel! Wait...no...Darius?

 _"_ _ **Ninja Girl"**_ Ah yeah, Lan Fan had always been his favorite. Always the most sane one from the bunch.

" ** _Old Man Fu"_** Aw Fu...he liked Fu!

 ** _"_** ** _Piss ant"_** Greed groaned, aw hell...he changed his name a lot... from _princy_ to _Greed No. 2_...

 ** _"_** ** _Princess Badass"_** Greed smiled dreamily like the love sick fool he was...ahh...his Lena...

 ** _"_** ** _Rockbell Girl"_** Runt's girlfriend

 ** _"_** ** _Runt"_** Greed looked at it and scrolled down.

 ** _"_** ** _Sassy Demon Granny"_** She may be a pipe smoking demon but she did make the best stew...

 ** _"_** ** _Slut"_** Greed rolled his eyes, there goes his sister...

" ** _Tin Can"_** Oh! Runt's brother!

* * *

 **Roy's contact list**

 **"** **Alphonse"** Roy smiled, such a sweet boy.

 ** _"_** ** _Annabeth"_** Roy snorted. Delete.

 ** _"_** ** _Anna"_** Delete.

 ** _"_** ** _Beth"_** Delete.

 ** _"_** ** _Belle"_** Ah the baker's daughter...delete.

 ** _"_** ** _Breda"_** Roy stuck his tongue out and typed his new name in: " _The Rook"_

 ** _"_** ** _Chloe"_** Delete.

 ** _"_** ** _Eleanor"_** Delete.

 ** _"_** ** _Elsbeth"_** Delete.

" ** _Falman"_** _Changed to "The Bishop"_

" ** _Fuery"_** _Changed to "The Pawn"_

 **"** ** _Fullmetal"_** Roy's finger hovered above the "delete" button, then an image of a annoyed Riza appeared in his mind and he reluctantly scrolled down further.

" ** _General Grumman"_** Roy smirked and changed his name to " _Chess Partner"_

" ** _Havoc"_** _Changed to "The Knight"_

 ** _"_** ** _Jannett"_** Delete.

" ** _Lieutenant Hawkeye"_** A soft, warm look spread over Roy's face, making him appear younger. He chuckled softly and started typing: " ** _My Queen"_**

I know it's _extremely_ short BUT I'll update it (for a few of the other characters of YOUR choosing)! :) Thanks for your patience everyone!


	90. Words and Sentences

**ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Ao tori:** haha No problem, really, I know that feeling, I've been so busy alone this week its crazy. I've had four exams and its only _Tuesday_ . (blush) T-thanks! ^^ I'm really, really glad you like my story! :3 I may consider myself a half decent writer but I still think I have a looong way to go till that happens! Good luck with RL work and duties and everything! :)

 **Words and Sentences**

 **Storm:** The storm he had thought he would get lost in through his journey of bringing their bodies back had subsided, instead a new storm approached from the horizon, stronger than the one before. But Ed smiled because that storm was one he would welcome with open arms, the storm that was the bright blue of her eyes, the storm that was the strength of her words, the storm that was just simply _her_.

 **Breath:** He was no stranger to near death experiences, quite the opposite, but the moment where he truly thought his breath had been stolen was the day he saw her walking towards him, dressed in a beautiful white that complimented her blue eyes and her sunshine smile.

 **Comrades:** He had always been a loner, at least he would like to think so. Then he made friends with Maes and a Ishvalan in his academy days, Hughes had stayed with him through thick and thin and because of him he had learned he never had been a loner, because loners didn't need friends as much as he did.

 **Blood:** Blood was everywhere. In your body, coursing through your veins and granting you life, the ability to breath, to clench your muscles, to perform basic bodily functions...blood was the life force of every human being. But then...why was there so much blood soaking the earth where he walked?

 **Automail:** She had discovered her passion and love for automail in her younger years, when she had first hurled a random object at Ed's head for making her angry, it had been a wrench. She had been surprised and when she picked it back up from the floor, she had looked at it long and hard and turned to look at Pinako, "Granny...can you teach me to be a automail mechanic?"

 **Silk:** He had always thought her voice was like silk, smooth and pleasant. Her skin just as soft, warm and trembling beneath his searching fingers. And then, when he had touched her lips for the first time with his, he almost exchanged them for silk.

 **Freedom:** It had been something he could only dream about, read about in books and heard from people who actually _had_ such a thing, _freedom_. He had always desired to feel free, among many other things, but aside from money, power, status, sex and women he had desired, above all else, one thing. _Freedom._

 **Secrets:** She had unintentionally spied them conversing in lowered voices and hushed tones, huddled together in the privacy of their room. She hadn't been able to hear what they were saying, but the thing that had unnerved her the most was, they always kept secrets from her. But she knew, deep down, for the sake of her sanity, it was best to keep them what they were; secrets.

 **Smooth:** He had always thought himself a smooth talker, a ladies' man. Unfortunately, his self perception differentiated widely from his friends dubbing him as "useless on rainy days", "moody" and a "bastard Colonel". However, there was one person that called him aside from the usual. He had smooth skin for a soldier.

 **Temper:** Many believed the sin of wrath to be furious beyond normal comprehension, but he thought himself a calm man with an inner peace of mind. Except if somebody threatened his family. Though, his beautiful wife would often call him out on his flaring temper when one of the foreigners who didn't know who she was attempted to flirt with her.

 **Precious:** She was a precious bundle of writhing tiny limbs and small whimpers for warmth. And when Alphonse held his newborn daughter closer within the protective cocoon of his arms, she ceased her shivering and instead, released a content sigh of what he perceived to be relief and contentment. The gold in his eyes softened into warm ambers of affection and fatherly love.

 **Lost:** Normally, lost things were supposed to be put in the "Lost & Found" box but...would he fit into a box, he wondered?

 **Teeth:** That sharp, brief glint of dangerous, pointy teeth reminded her he wasn't completely human and yet it sent delicious shivers down her spine whenever those dangerously sharp canines softly nibbled on the heated flesh of her neck, biting down gently and soothing the mark with a flicker of his hot tongue. The day after the mark reminded her of sharp teeth and breathy chuckles.

 **Territorial:** He was territorial. Because she was his. Territorial is protecting what's already yours.

 **Jealous:** She wasn't jealous. Because he _was_ hers. Jealous is wanting something that isn't yours.

 **Doubt:** Whenever doubt would start crawling its way into the recesses of his mind and threaten to swallow him whole, she was there to pull him away from the tendrils of darkness and into the warm, welcoming embrace of light.

 **Fire:** He had come to investigate a highly skilled alchemist, what he had found was a small child bound to a wheelchair due to performing the ultimate taboo known to alchemists. The price to pay was his brother's body, his arm and leg. But after he finished his speech and had looked down at the boy, he had expected to be met by an empty, dull gaze. What he found instead sparked a grin from him. There was a fire in those eyes, a fire more formidable than his flames ever could be.

 **Red:** He saw red whenever anyone dared to harm her. But he also saw red on her, the way she liked to wear that red casual dress. The way the dim red and orange light in the room made her hair appear nearly a fiery red, contrary to the dark chocolates of the unruly strands. And he saw red whenever she would accidentally cut herself while working out in the field and he would see white when he wrapped it in a bandage and kissed it better.

 **Fool:** " _Fools set the rules"_ he had always been told. From his younger days, it had been his ambition to change that, to remove the fools and finally start leading the country like it's supposed to be led. But after so many years and so many obstacles yet to be conquered, he asked himself, was _he_ the fool?

 **Tall:** She had never viewed him as tall because he never had been up to his later teenage years. But bit by bit, she had started to notice how his eyes were the same level as hers, she would notice how those broad shoulders would slowly start towering over her. And lastly, she noticed when she had to slightly tilt her head up in order to look him in the eyes.

 **Grin:** That stupid grin of his was infuriating, cocky, _arrogant_ , mocking and all in between. But that grin gave her a feeling of security and warmth and fun times. Because when he grinned that toothy grin, it was when he was in a good mood and teasing her. And suddenly, she didn't mind the grin anymore because as long as he grinned the way he did, she knew everything was alright.

 **Truth:** Subconsciously, somewhere deep inside their damaged hearts, they had known it had been impossible from the start. And yet they have held that small sliver of hope, for what reason, they did not really know. Maybe it had been in the hopes of it all being a dream, a terrible nightmare and that one day they would wake up and find everything to be normal. That their mother wasn't dead, that they didn't lose their bodies, that the world wasn't being threatened by dangerous foes. But somewhere, deep inside their damaged hearts, they had known it. They had known it was all the truth. It had been impossible from the very beginning.

 **Searching:** Sharp, hissing sounds escaped her throat reluctantly when only the tips of his fingers – _that tease!_ – had skimmed only the surface of her exposed, heated flesh. Creating goose bumps along their path, leaving behind quivering skin tingling from the faintest of sensations of being touched by the familiar person wearing a smug smirk on his lips. And when his violet eyes bore into hers, he took her breath away when he sought out his next target.

 **Time:** Time was of essence, it was limited, it was not something that can be restored or taken back. Then...why did everyone live as if they had all the time in the world?

 **Care:** Many believed her to be cold, calculating and ruthless. Anything beyond were deemed as rumors. Sometimes, in the midst of leading her troops to victory and in the haze of battle, sometimes even she doubted the rumors of her being _kind_ or _compassionate_. But then she had heard of his death and after saving the world and recovering from her injuries, she had wrapped the blanket around herself and wept like a child seeking solace.

 **Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Should I continue writing stuff like this?**.


	91. Words and Sentences 2

**Hi everyone**...well, I've managed to copy-and-paste this quickly since I'm stuck with the flu and a bit of fever . I'll write the requests in the weekend don't worry! I'll also try to update the request chapter as soon as I can too!

Thank you for your patience and support guys! You're awesome! T_T :)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Bob:** Oh...well I already have a Request chapter (I think somewhere at chapter...52? 54? Something like that) Well, I usually try to write requests first but sometimes I just get that urge to write things I come up on the spot and I can't stop myself from publishing . BUT if it annoys you or the rest I can write up the requests no problem! ;)

 **Natsu:** ^^ Arigatou Natsu! :)

 **Pouda-P:** T_T Oh thanks so much! I feel honored that you would show it to your friends :3 haha thanks!

 **GrumpyCatWriter101:** Thank you so damn much! ^,^ I've never written something like this before, so I was nervous if I even did it correctly .

 **Panic:** (wipes stray tear away) Oh! Tissues! (pretends to wipe sweat off my eyes) Ugh, I'm such a sucker for reviews . Honestly, thank you Panic :) haha I thought for sure I did something wrong or it wasn't supposed to be written like that. It's the first time writing something like this and I'm happy it was received well! :3 Thanks, good luck with exams/duties too! ;)

* * *

 **Words and Sentences 2**

 **Cherished:** A word he thought humanity has long since forgotten. No, humanity didn't forget the _word_ , they had forgotten for what they should use it for.

 **Used:** Shouldn't it be: Things are being used and people are being cherished? Truth constantly wondered why people cherished things and used people instead.

 **Prey:** She had never felt so terrified, blood pumping wildly in her veins, breath erratic and coming out in short, quick gasps for much needed air. Her muscles were burning, screaming at her to stop and rest, warm blood trickled heavily down her automail arm but she quickened her pace at the sound of falling trees behind her and the footsteps of the hungry Homunculus. She released a bloodcurdling scream when he finally caught her.

 **Protective:** Some said he was possessive, others called it looking after what was his. He called it protective, because it was just that.

 **Complicated:** Their very lives were complicated from the beginning, their journey, just everything. But _why_ did his proposal have to be so damn complicated too?

 **Words:** Words fulfilled a multitude of purposes and functions. Sometimes they were used to comfort and soothe, sometimes they were used to harm and scar, sometimes they were used to simply fill the empty spaces and the silence he loathed so much. And sometimes...no words were needed at all.

 **Need:** Need sometimes drove people to do crazy things, even thing they normally wouldn't do. And so, Ling found himself suddenly hauling a stunned ninja woman up over his shoulder, ignoring scandalous gasps and horrified looks from bystanders.

 **Blush:** He loved the redness on her face, how it covered the expanse of her cheeks, partly her nose and the tops of her ears. When particularly strong however, it would reach well beyond the visible part of her collarbone. He loved making her blush just as much as she loved making him grin and chuckle for her.

 **Fire & Ice: **Sometimes, he didn't know if she was like fire or he was like ice. When somebody badmouthed her friends or hurt them, she could be more deadly than Mustang's brightest flames, her eyes a blazing dark brown that lightened up like embers over a roaring fire. But when she would be pissed off, she would sometimes coldly tell off anyone that had the luck of suffering her wrath. He could be like ice, by effortlessly killing and hurting people that had hurt her and them, he could be like fire too. But he knew, while her fire would burn anyone alive they targeted, _his_ fire would leave no trace behind of them.

 **Shadows:** The tendrils of pure black under his control obeyed his every thought process, he would kill without a second thought if it meant saving himself. However, the moment _she_ had shown him warmth he had never experienced before, he realized...he would never raise his shadows on her.

 **Eyes:** She found his eyes intriguing, how they could flash with a underlying threat and murderous intent at his enemies when he thought she wasn't watching and yet be so soft and kind while looking at her. She didn't like his eye patch, because it covered the other beautiful eye she had come to love and adore, with or without the red mark in it.

 **Greed:** He was greedy when it came to her, oh so greedy. He would never let Ling touch her, because she was _his_. It didn't matter that he was in the prince's body and that she was his bodyguard. The only thing that mattered was the name that came out in a strangled gasp from the female Xingese warrior and that was _his_.

 **Gold:** It was the color of his eyes, it was the most precious matter possible to convert with alchemy. It was the most sought after thing to attain wealth. Gold was her favorite color because it reminded her so much of his eyes.

 **Intellect:** It wasn't just the tall, muscular body he had trained over the years of their journey, though that was certainly a nice plus too. It was his intelligence she had come to love and adore, he knew many things, mainly concerning alchemy, she didn't. And when she would start talking about automail and the mechanics behind it, he would be smart enough to understand the base of it. She may call him a freak, but she loved him just the same.

 **Broad:** If she would stand behind him, she would be invisible. While she wasn't as slender as many other women, from years of training in the military, he still managed to stand so tall with those broad shoulders of his and conceal her from the world. Because he never liked to share.

 **Rain:** It was a rainy day when they had stood in front of the grave, the setting sun behind them bathing them in a combination of yellow and orange light. Despite the clear sky, it had been raining that day. Because, she hadn't seen the fire in his eyes, he usually had the same intensity as the suns. No, what she saw in those eyes, was nothing but dark rain. Rain that trickled into a thin line down his cheek and jaw and soaked into the clothing of his funeral attire.

 **Memory:** Because, sometimes he questioned the pictures in his own head. Were they real or just a wishful manifestation of his deepest desires? Thankfully, his older brother would be there to remind him none of those pictures were wishful illusions but _memories_.


	92. A Fire in his Soul

Hey guys, well I'm still ill and was forced to stay at home and recuperate a bit . Can't say I'm at 100% but I'm getting there ;) Meanwhile, enjoy this little one shot long overdue as a request from **Panic!** **BTW:** Looks like writing up all the requests in a predetermined order is impossible for me . It just depends on my mood on what request/idea I write first and forcing myself to write another one will only end up in a disastrous chapter! . BUT I'll try to write more of your requests everyone!

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Bob:** Oh sorry about that, I tend to be stupid af when I'm sick (haha) Well, it looks like I'm just too much of a chaotic writer to really set myself on a order which chapers I'll write next. I could try writing in a specific order but I wouldn't want to write bad chapters if I have to force myself to write you know? That's always the problem with writing .

 **Lily:** Hihi 8 more now! ;)

 **OtakuGirl:** Ohhh I can sing you a song about that T_T

 **Panic:** Thank you :3 FINALLY! I was worried I made a few too difficult to notice. Sheesh, I think I wrote two or three Greedlingfan sniplets already ;) And those "anonymous" sniplets also count as Greedlingfan since I wrote them with nearly all chars in mind ^^

 **Pouda-P:** (grins) Thank you buddy! :D

 **Disclaimer: Scenes and conversations borrowed from Episode 2 "The First Day" of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood!**

 **Summary:** Roy hears rumors centering around two brothers performing the ultimate taboo of alchemy in a rural village called Resembool. Heading out with his trusty Lieutenant to investigate the case, Roy finds something completely other than he expected...

 **A Fire in his Soul**

Roy crossed his hands over the table, his gaze surprised and thoughtful, "This is a surprise to say the least. I've heard reports of a brilliant alchemist living in this town so I came to check them out," as he was explaining himself to the elderly woman of the house, his gaze swayed to the said brilliant alchemist.

It was a small boy, lacking an arm and a leg, bound to a wheelchair operated by a large suit of armor where his brother's soul resided in.

His gaze returned to Pinako, "The last thing I expected to find was a boy skilled enough to attempt human transmutation," he looked up at the large suit of armor, "Or advanced enough to bound a soul to a suit of armor. I'd say he's more than qualified to become a State Alchemist,"

Alphonse froze, the man's words echoing in his mind like a bad mantra, " _...to become a State Alchemist,"_ thousands of alarm bells were ringing in his mind, trying to convince him this was a very bad idea, that this man spelled trouble and the offer he was making, that this whole situation was just _wrong._

He looked down at his still motionless brother, was he even listening? Why wasn't Ed freaking out?! He _can't_ possibly be considering even joining the military! He hated the military!

" _Brother? Becoming a State Alchemist? No way! He hates the military! That's impossible!"_ Alphonse shook his head, willing the thoughts away.

He was torn away from his thoughts by Pinako who slammed the end of her pipe down against the table, "Whatever that _thing_ was it wasn't human! Alchemy created that abomination and nearly killed them!" her voice was angry and loud, while Alphonse was used to that tone whenever granny Pinako and Ed had a dispute over drinking milk, this was different. She was angry at that man, not Ed, and her eyes were ablaze at the mere thought of the military in her house.

The same military that had taken the lives of her son and daughter-in-law.

The man in uniform remained silent for a while, the angry outburst leaving a number on him too until he started talking again. But Al tuned him out.

" _No, no, no! Come on granny do something! I can't believe brother would want to join them! We have enough problems as it is, I can't let brother do something stupid and join the military! He may get killed or...or..."_ he was at war with his own thoughts, not knowing what to think.

Usually in times like these, he would look at Ed and search for answers in his brother's eyes. But his brother's usual intelligent and lively eyes were now dull and empty, focusing on nothing. It was like not only his arm and leg but also his life and soul had been taken from him and Al thought, that maybe, a small part even had been.

The tall military man now stood before them, gazing down at Ed, Alphonse almost shook in his armor, the words of the man however weren't as vicious as he thought they would be, "I'm not forcing you, I'm merely offering you the possibility." His voice turned sharper, fire lacing every uttered syllable, "Will you sit in that chair wallowing in self pity or will you stand up and seize the chance the military can give you?" Alphonse shrunk back, overwhelmed by the intensity in the man's words, "If you believe the possibility exists of getting your bodies back you should seek it out. Keep moving whatever it takes, even if the way ahead...lies in a river of mud..."

Empty, lifeless eyes gazed up at him, it only fueled the fire Roy was known for deep within him, bubbling just near the surface of his being. It sickened him to see someone so close to escaping death, now looking like just living is punishment by itself.

He left and Alphonse thought that was the last he would see of the military ever again. The broad back of a man whose words had struck something deep within his brother.

Riza sat in the carriage with her superior, her gaze returning to the small house they had just been in, "Will they be coming?" she asked curiously.

The determined, familiar look on her long time friend's face spoke volumes, "They'll come," the words were so sure, like he was, and yet a sliver of doubt nagged at her mind.

"That boy...I've never seen anyone look so defeated..." her own gaze was sad at the brief glimpse she had caught of the small blonde boy sitting in the wheelchair as they headed out. His head bowed down, one white long sleeve of his shirt hanging limply by his side, empty.

The forming smile on Roy's face startled her, "That's what you saw?" she couldn't find a explanation for why he was grinning, "No...there was a fire in those eyes,"

After Alphonse had gone back inside with Winry and granny, his brother's eyes seemed different.

They seemed...

 _alive._

* * *

"What brought you here Alphonse?" Roy's hands were in his pockets, looking at the sitting suit of armor situated by the stairs, right outside of the State military building, "It's far too late for you to-" he cut himself off, biting his lip.

"I'm sorry I-"

Alphonse turned his head, "It's alright, don't worry. Force of habit, right?" Roy nodded mutely, still feeling ashamed of the slip up.

Of course the poor boy couldn't sleep, not because something was plaguing his mind but because he was unable to by not possessing a physical body.

"What are you doing here Colonel? It's too late for you to be up too," it looked like Alphonse was smiling but maybe the glow of the moon was playing tricks on Roy.

"Ah, I've just taken a stroll through the building and made sure the Lieutenant has retired for the night," Alphonse lifted his head to look up at him.

"Miss Riza is still here?" if he could, he would raise an eyebrow in surprise.

Roy smirked, settling down on the steps next to Al, "She tends to stay late to fill out my paperwork," he laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.

Alphonse released a giggle, but quieted soon after. The lack of optimism coming from the youth surprised Roy and he had to inquire, "Something on your mind?"

He watched the expressionless face of the armor come to life, as if Alphonse was giving it face expressions every time the boy wanted to express his feelings. A pang of guilt hit Roy.

Alphonse shook his head, "Not really...but..." he looked up at the dark sky, "Today...you've shouted at a soldier that treated me for what I was...why?" red eyes turned to look at the Colonel with a questioning glow.

Roy had expected this question to come sooner or later, "Because, he didn't treat you the way you were supposed to be treated. He treated you the way he saw you, understand Alphonse?" when the boy shook his head Roy smiled sadly.

"That soldier treated you like a empty suit of armor, he called you a freak and told you, you weren't human. He was lucky the Lieutenant was there otherwise I would have fried him on the spot," Roy grumbled under his breath, "I was surprised Fullmetal didn't decapitate him,"

"I was holding him back actually..." Alphonse rubbed the back of his head but focused on Roy again, "Colonel?"

Roy closed his eyes, "Treating people for what they seem them for and not for what they are is a common flaw, one humanity can't help but make. It's a damned cycle that is cursed to continue for as long as we live, I suppose." His dark eyes met Alphonse's, "You may appear to be a empty suit of armor, but there is a soul inside of it, Alphonse. Your soul, a _human_ soul. You and your brother have been through many things children your age aren't even supposed to hear yet about, let alone experience. I'm sorry to say you've had to join the military and be their dogs in order to achieve your dreams of getting your bodies back, but it's the best bet you have."

Roy stood up, dusting off his pants, looking up at the dark sky, "Prejudice is an ugly thing. And while not many would like to admit it, is the main cause for every war."

There was a moment of silence before Alphonse spoke softly, "You're talking about Ishval aren't you?"

There was a faraway look in Roy's eyes, "I'm talking about all the wars that had been, that are and that are yet to be Alphonse. People's instinctual fear of the unknown causes them to think irrationally, they get tunnel vision for only the thing they think they are afraid of and not the circumstances surrounding it." His voice turned low, "The State Military has only issued the one sided annihilation of Ishval because they were afraid of the unknown power the people had. The murder of the child by one of us has started the conflict, but prejudices is what led to signing the annihilation order in the end."

Roy started walking back inside, but stopped in his steps by Alphonse, "Colonel..."

"Yes, Alphonse?" Roy turned his head slightly to the side, indicating he was listening.

"Thank you..." the kind, gentle voice of the boy he grew fond of rang pleasantly in his ears and caused a smile to light up his face.

* * *

 **Eh...** maybe not AS parentish as I originally intended for Roy to be...PANIC! I can write another one shot with the same request and write up a different setting if you like! I tried keeping them both in character though (sweat drop)


	93. Contact List Part 2

**I'm BACK! :3**...with a headache but meh, have a lot of stuff to study for and do for school (I borrowed a thousand of books for research) . I feel like the pile of books is glaring at me... _ugh_. _Anyway_ , ahem, I hope everyone enjoys this random one shot!

Regarding **Ling's** contact list...hell please don't ask XD I just had that weird urge to add Japanese suffix endings to his contacts for whatever random reason. ^^ BTW: YES...I made Fu own a ramen shop...that was even weirder lol And YES...Black Hayate has a phone now...lol Riza finally allowed him.

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **OtakuGirl:** (goes into wise-cracking-preaching-mode) There's no such thing as a bad idea, only a writer who writes it bad ;) haha Don't worry, got it written down! :) And it's not stupid, I think it's good, just if I'll be able to find 100 facts about all of 'em.

 **Cassey:** T_T Oh man, gotta indulge myself in the Harry Potter universe again, haven't watched a movie since years . But I'll definitely think about it! :) Thanks!

 **Pouda-P:** Hm, I see we already got two votes for that idea (100 facts). Hmm...a drunk party! *.* Oh that's just screaming for a funny, random and action packed chapter! Noted! ;)

 **Panic:** (grins softly) Yeah, I was aiming for that effect that, when you just quickly read over it, you don't really notice many things but if you go through it slowly and read it again, you realize some sentences may hit home, or have a double meaning...etc. (oh geez I gotta stop behaving all guru-like .). I like your idea Panic! :D Sounds interesting and even more interesting to write! Oh! I like your second idea even more :3 (embarrassed) Ahh, thank you! Well, I can certainly try but unfortunately with all my school work I'm not sure if I'll be able to update any time soon! T_T BTW: I meant hearing your own ideas with "on your part"...yeah, I can be confusing. P.S: Sorry...for the long reply...AGAIN! .

* * *

 **Contact List Part 2**

 **Ling's contact list**

 ** _Alkahestry Study_** Ahh, his old Alkahestry teacher at Xing...

 ** _All-You-Can-Eat #1_** Ling grinned widely, adding a heart next to the name.

 ** _All-You-Can-Eat #2_** He added a heart there too.

 ** _All's Well that Eats Well_** Oh! Double hearts!

 ** _Alphonse-san_** Ahhh, his future brother-in-law! Ling snickered.

 ** _Black Hayate_** Uhh...huh? Why did he have the contact name of a _dog?!_

 ** _Blonde Midget_** Ling grinned evilly and added a vomiting smiley face next to the name. HA!

 **Brother-from-another-mother** Greeeed! Hm...maybe he could change it...Ling stuck his tongue out and typed in the new name, ' _Uglier Me'._

 ** _Central Restaurant #1_** Another heart!

 ** _Central Restaurant #2_** Aaaand another!

 ** _Fu_** Aww Fuuu!

 ** _Fu's Ramen Shop_** A thousand hearts!

 ** _Lan Fan-chan_** Ling stopped and smiled, he stuck his tongue out in thought. What was the symbol for "infinity" again? He didn't know if so many hearts even fit next to her name...

 ** _Mei-chan_** Well, well, well...did Mei finally marry Alphonse? He would have to give her a call...

 ** _Mustang-dono_** Ah yeah, the mighty Flame Alchemist-turned-General.

 ** _Scary Lieutenant-san_** A shiver of fear raced down his spine...

 ** _Soldier #1_** Ahh, wasn't that Mustang's man...what was his name again...um...Havoc?

 ** _Soldier #2_** Ohhh that was that one soldier with orange, brown hair from Mustang's unit!

 ** _Soldier #3_** Oh, that was the tall grey haired one...that officer what was his name? Failman? Falling man?

 ** _Soldier #4_** Ling squealed, aw this one was that cute little guy with glasses who was good with technology from Mustang's unit!

 ** _Stupid Brother #1_** Ling rolled his eyes. _Delete._

 ** _Stupid Brother #2_** _Delete._

 ** _Stupid Sister #3_** _Delete._

 ** _Teriyaki Shop_** Where were those hearts again...

 ** _Xing Office_** Ling snorted and rolled his eyes, duties, duties, duties...

 ** _Xing Room_** Why in the world did he even have the number of his own room in Xing?!

 ** _Xing Food Service_** Ling smiled a kitten-like smile, ahhh...good times, good times.

* * *

 **Ed's contact list**

 ** _Al_**

 ** _Automail freak_** Ed's eyes narrowed at the name before he rolled his eyes and typed the new name under the ever watchful eye of his lovely wife, _'Badass Automail Engineer'_

Once Winry left with a self satisfied smile on her face, Ed looked over his shoulder quickly before he smiled warmly and typed the new name in, changing ' _Badass Automail Engineer'_ to ' _Best Wife'_

 ** _Bearded Bastard_** Oh...he had Hohenheim too? Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could have sworn he imaged the blonde man screaming at him something under the lines of, ' _How rude! Not even saving me as your own father in your contacts list!'_ he shrugged the feeling off.

 ** _Black Hayate_** Ed's eyes almost bulged out of his head. Wait a minute...wasn't that Riza's _dog_?! Why did he have _a dog_ 's contact number?! Did dogs even _have_ numbers?! Did they even have _phones_?! Ed fell off his chair.

 ** _Breda_**

 ** _Den_** Ed weakly crawled back up toward his chair before his eyes glued to a another very weird name in his contact list. He scrambled to stand up, " _Winryyy! WE NEED TO TALK!"_

 ** _Doorphobia_** Ahhhh, so here was Ling.

 ** _Doorphobia's Girlfriend_** Ed snickered, he considered himself a good matchmaker...he still thought Ling had infected Lan Fan with his weird disease.

 ** _Firepants_** Ed smirked evilly and changed the name to _'ColonelUseless'_

 ** _Fuery_**

 ** _Falman_**

 ** _Greedling_** Wait...was that Greed or Ling now? Ed scratched the back of his neck in confusion...if this was Ling..who the hell was _Doorphobia_ then? He didn't know anyone with a irrational fear of using doors...he scrolled down further.

 ** _Havoc_**

 ** _Hughes_** Ed smiled, oh yeah Hughes had always been a good guy...even if he did annoy the living daylights out of him sometimes.

 ** _Lieutenant Hawkeye_** Ed didn't even _think_ of changing it.

 ** _LazyAss_** Ed rolled his eyes, _why_ did he have Yoki in here again?

 ** _Lena (Greedling's Girlfriend)_** Ed slapped his own forehead in realization. Ahh, so _that_ was Greed! Ed stuck his tongue out as he changed the name ' _Greedling'_ to ' _Greedy Bastard'_. He also changed ' _Greedling's Girlfriend'_ to _'Badass Alchemist'_.

 ** _Mini Granny_** Ed smirked evilly.

 ** _Rose_** Ed blinked, eyes peering at the screen in confusion. Huh? He had _Rose_? When did he ever get her number? He never asked that's for sure and he didn't even know she owned a number at all... He yelped in surprise when Winry suddenly stormed up to him and grabbed his phone violently out of his hand, while her husband was shaking like a leaf, Winry narrowed her eyes and deleted the name from his contact list, throwing the phone at his head before storming off. He didn't know what was worse; not knowing when he had acquired Rose's number, being hit by his wife's wrench, or being hit by his own phone from his wife.

* * *

 **Kimblee's contact list**

 ** _Artillery Freak_** Ah...an old war buddy... _delete._

 ** _General Armstrong_**...Well, she may be a cold hearted general but it never hurt to keep his enemies close.

 ** _Blonde Mechanic_** Hm...that had been the girl with Fullmetal, what was her name? Wendy? Winry? His finger hovered over the ' _delete'_ button before he shook his head and scrolled down. Who knew, maybe he would decide to visit that little rural village Resembool sometime.

 **Explosive Shop** Kimblee smiled, adding a star next to the name, he hadn't visited that shop in a pretty long time...

 ** _Hawkeye_** That blonde woman that's been with Mustang. Kimblee scribbled down something on a piece of paper, ' _Check to see if she is still single'_ on another one he wrote, _'News update: My preferences changed to military blonde,'_

 ** _Fullmetal Runt_** He smirked, the young gifted alchemist...

 ** _Lion Chimera_** Oh...one of my henchmen.

 ** _Mustang_** He frowned, he would love to hear him explode...

 ** _Mustang's husband_** What was his name again...Hughes? He would love to hear him explode as well...

 ** _Monkey Chimera_** Was that the guy with blonde hair and glasses? No?

 ** _Pride_** Kimblee laughed, he wondered briefly where the Homunculus could possibly be.

 ** _White Suit_** He grinned, ahhh his favorite shop! They tailored such good suits for him too...

* * *

 **Father's contact list**

 ** _Favorite Daughter_** He smiled impishly, ah yes his intelligent Lust...

 ** _Favorite Son_** Father nodded proudly, his eldest was really something...

 ** _Furious General_** Oh...they grow up so fast...one day his son is the sin of Wrath and the next he's leading a country like a tyrant...Father wiped a tear from his eye, feeling proud.

 ** _Glutton_** Did he buy enough food to last for the next three hours? He hoped so...

 ** _Jealous Brat_** The elderly man rolled his eyes, if Envy complained about Lust being prettier _one more time..._

 ** _Lazy Goodboy_** Oh Sloth...such a kind boy but so lazy and dim witted...he shook his head.

 ** _Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim_** Hmm...come to think of it, he hadn't seen his kin in a while...they hadn't played chess in a while either...

 ** _Trisha Elric_** Father blinked before he smiled slowly, ohh that was the lovely young woman of Hohenheim's if he remembered correctly. Interesting...very interesting. Suddenly, his phone flashed alarmingly, displaying Hohenheim's name over it in a call.

Father rose an eyebrow in confusion before he pressed 'accept' and held the phone close to his ear, "Hello?"

The ear shattering, booming voice of his friend made him move the phone away from his ear, " _YOU LECHER! YOU WILL NOT CALL OR FLIRT WITH MY TRISHA! NOW HANG UP AND DELETE HER NUMBER!"_ Father rolled his eyes and hung up, mumbling something about 'stupid humans' as he deleted Trisha's number.

 ** _Troublemaker_** Father rolled his eyes, oh heavens...what did his son do _now_?


	94. Band of Seven

Hello everyone! I'm sorry for my absence, I have a week off from school now and it's full of schedules too . Preparing for future exams, writing notes and sticking them all over the place (lol), research and writing on my final thesis...etc...etc. Basically work, work, work for me T_T

BUT fear not! I found some time to write this quickly and I hope it isn't one of my "weak-ass one shots" which are more of an eyesore than eye candy ^^

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Sorry4badenglish:** Thank you so much! :3 I really appreciate your review a lot, really thanks! ;) If you have any prompts for Royai or other characters, feel free to write them! :)

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** haha no problem there ;) I get into fangirl sessions too ^^ Thanks for the compliment I was worried if my descriptions of the scene and setting were accurate enough or not (sweat drop) (wipes tears) Aw, thank you! (tries not to cry a waterfall) You are so good to me reader-san! XD

 **Panic:** Really? Aw man that's great! / ^_^ / Thanks for the really nice compliments again haha Honestly, I often feel undeserving of your praise since I need so long to even update . About your idea, it's really exciting for me too and I'll try to write it before hand (at least before my exams start attacking me again O_o) so that you all got something to occupy yourselves with while I'm away ;)

ENJOY! :D

* * *

 **Band of Seven**

Greed blocked another strike, just barely so, from Father, whose eyes shone ominously with murderous intent at his opponent as he continued his vigorous assault.

" _Hey prince! I don't think I can hold on for much longer! I hate to say it but the old man's a fucking beast!"_ Greed grunted from the blow Father delivered next, he propelled himself backwards, using the momentum of his fall to bounce himself back on his hands and dodge Father's attack.

" _Greed! Just hold on! You can fight him on more even ground since he can't break your defense,"_ Ling clenched his fists, " _Look!"_ Ling's eyes widened at the scene he witnessed.

Greed quickly moved out of the way and froze when he saw who just joined the battle.

It was goddamn Lust.

From where, Greed had no idea. "What the hell?! I thought you were dead!" he pointed a Ultimate Shield covered finger at his supposed deceased sibling, who had a small smirk on her painted lips.

Oh shit.

Father's smile lifted, "Ah, I see my dear daughter has returned from the-" gold eyes widened in shock as he felt multiple nails impaled his midsection at once, to his horror, more souls escaped his beaten body and he desperately tried clinging on to his wavering power.

"Sorry, but I care little for weak old men who kill his children, _father_ ," her smile was positively devious as she called from behind her, "Gluttony!"

"Finally I can eat!" Gluttony jumped over his sister's head and launched himself with flailing arms and tongue straight at Father, who tried backtracking only to be hindered by Lust's nails inside of him. He narrowed his eyes and sent a earth coated fist crashing for Lust, who dodged the attack and instead, none other than Wrath sliced the fist to bits with his swords.

Gluttony latched his whole mouth onto Father's head, who flailed with his arms and tried to desperately pry the heavy glutton off himself.

"Let go of me you good for nothing fool!" he threw Gluttony to the side harshly, his eyes wide when he saw Greed right in front of him with a cocky smirk.

"Hell, I don't know what's going on pops, but looks like we are in the rebellious phase huh?" he grinned before he jumped high in the air and wrapped both his legs around Father's neck, slamming his whole weight down to the ground and smirking when he heard he broke his neck and spine.

"Hey! Sloth! I've got work for ya!" Greed quickly moved out of the way just as the earth beneath Father's regenerating form gave way and the large Homunculus emerged straight from it.

"Work...such a...pain," instead of his usual empty expression, there was a small smile on his face as he slammed his joined hands down on Father's head.

"What the..." Ed began, gold eyes wide in disbelief at the scene before him.

"Brother? What's...what's going on?" Alphonse's voice was just as surprised at seeing all the thought to be dead Homunculi beating their own creator to a pulp.

"Hell if I know!" he whipped his head about, "Huh?! And where's Hohenheim?!" he looked around with Al but there were no traces of his runaway father.

"Right here boys," Hohenheim grinned, calmly approaching his two sons while dusting his hands off, as if he had done hard manual labor.

"What the hell did you do Hohenheim?! Did you actually resurrect them?!" Ed grabbed the older man by the collar of his white shirt, shaking him furiously.

"Now, now! Edward you'll ruin my shirt!" Hohenheim gently pried his son's hands away, sighing with a small, tired smile, "I've had the idea, if the Homunculus can create them, then why not another living Philosopher's Stone?" he grinned down at his sons.

Ed was speechless.

"Wait, you mean to tell me you've resurrected them and convinced them to fight on _our_ side? How did you do that?" Alphonse asked completely confused.

Hohenheim chuckled, "Well...there really wasn't much need for convincing them..." he scratched the back of his neck as he watched the ensuing battle, "They bear resentment towards him for not resurrecting them and using them as his pawns instead of his children," a troubled expression crossed his face while looking at his sons.

Alphonse placed a hand on his father's broad shoulder, "Thanks for the help dad!" the armored helmet seemed to smile at him and Hohenheim smiled back, squeezing his hand.

"Wait...that's not all of them...where is-"

Multiple sharp tendrils of shadows zipped right past Edward's head and impaled themselves within Father's stomach, arms and legs, briefly immobilizing him.

With a shell shocked look, Ed slowly turned around to confirm his suspicions.

None other than Pride was standing on a raised piece of transmuted rubble, eyes glowing red and his shadows showing all their sharp teeth, their eyes narrowed in anger.

"P-Pride," Ed whispered in disbelief, remembering the battle not too long ago where he had almost been consumed by the Homunculus.

Father's gaze hardened, "Ahh...so that's where my _favorite_ son went..."

Pride's gaze darkened, "Don't flatter yourself, _Father,_ " another shadow raised threateningly over Pride's head like a snake ready to attack, Pride tilted his head, smirk positively murderous, "Even if Gluttony is extracted from me I still feel... _hungry_ ," he licked his lips and attacked.

Father roared and created a startlingly blinding light but Gluttony quickly swallowed the hand emitting the light whole, Father growled in frustration and tried to shake the Homunculus off to no avail.

"It seems like we made father angry," Lust commented mockingly as she appeared behind Father and cut off his arm, which immediately regenerated, albeit slower.

She picked up on this and locked eyes with Greed, he nodded and moved in.

" _Hey Ling! Think you can handle another round?"_ Greed inquired the calmly sitting prince inside their shared mind.

" _You even need to ask? Let's kick some butt!"_ Greed grinned and laughed as he slammed a ultimate shield covered leg against Father's back.

Once he bent over with his torso facing Greed, Greed grinned and shouted out, "Now!" and suddenly, Wrath impaled both his swords into Father's pectorals, with Lust ripping off another arm.

Greed panted, rolling his shoulder and looking around, "Now where's that jealous brat when ya need him..." he was quickly greeted with a kick to the head.

"Are you blind prince? I'm right here," Envy grinned mockingly and feigned innocence, "Oh, _I'm sorry_ , seems like it's you Greed. I should have known, I doubt any human can have such a ugly face as you," he grinned sadistically.

Greed straightened his neck and glared at the Homunculus, "Oh? Funny, I thought the exact same thing," Greed grinned saucily before launching himself into the battle again.

Envy frowned and bared his teeth in anger, dodging a fist from Father and launching himself at him.

Father managed to disentangle himself from Sloth's and Gluttony's hold, catapulting his body from the ground with alchemy in order to escape.

"Sloth! Give me a boost!" Greed shouted toward the Homunculus who nodded. Greed jumped on his joined hands and Sloth roared as he threw his sibling as hard as he could at the escaping Homunculus.

"What's wrong daddy? Leaving so soon? But we didn't even finish _playing_!" Greed grinned and grabbed Father's neck, throwing him straight toward Envy's big, green form.

Envy roared and slammed Father's form into the ground, burying it under his enormous claw.

Wrath looked toward his other siblings and they were all ready in position, he waited until Envy jumped back and positioned himself before he shouted out loudly, " _Now!_ "

All seven Homunculi launched their attacks at the still crumbled figure of Father, creating a large, rapidly spreading cloud of smoke.

"Brother!" Alphonse quickly shielded him from any stray rubble and Ed coughed from the smoke.

"I'm alright Al, but what happened?" the Elric brothers turned around, narrowing their eyes to see beyond the smoke.

Riza's gaze narrowed, "There!" Mustang tensed beside her, his fingers poised at the ready.

Everyone watched with trepidation as the smoke slowly cleared.

"Lieutenant, what do you see?"Roy asked, his anxiousness growing the longer Riza's reply lasted, "Well? Is he finished?"

Several long seconds passed, before Riza slowly nodded, squeezing Roy's shoulder, "...Yes sir, it would seem so,"

The seven Homunculi were approaching the large crater they have created from their combined strength. What lay inside was just a shell of what was once their creator, Father.

He lacked legs and arms, only his torso was still intact, yet crumbling and turning to dust slowly, but surely.

"It seems like somebody has depleted their Philosopher's Stone," Lust smiled.

Pride licked his lips, "Too bad I wouldn't be able to consume him, we wouldn't want a repeat of events," his gaze was sharp.

Wrath smiled, "Killed by his own offspring...what a tragic way to die I imagine," he locked gazes briefly with Pride, who just smiled and chuckled.

"No more...work...for Sloth again..." Sloth seemed satisfied with that outcome.

Lust smiled and patted the Homunculus on the hand, "That's right Sloth, no more work for you for a while," the Homunculus smiled back.

Envy crossed his arms, "Hm...humans are a bitch...but this guy tops the cake," he grinned.

Greed kicked a small rock into the crater, which rolled down to Father's disappearing side, "Heh, hope you ain't too mad pops, I guess this happens when daddy plays favorites, huh?"

Despite his light hearted words, Greed's expression was serious as he calmly watched his creator slowly dissipate.

"No...no..no, no! I was meant to become God! No! I was meant to surpass God's power!" Father squirmed until just his mouth was left and the last words he uttered were, "...my children..."

There was a long silence that stretched over the battlefield, before loud cheers and applause started filling it.

Greed craned his neck and watched how a tearful Mrs. Bradley ran towards Wrath and Pride. Wrath dropped his swords and attempted to hug her, until she suddenly slapped him and hugged him to her, roughly ruffling Pride's hair and hugging him to her bosom.

" _Oh man...am I glad I don't have a woman who slaps me..."_ Ling chuckled at Greed's words.

" _Didn't their relationship start-off with her slapping him?"_ he couldn't help but joke.

Greed shook his head, hands on his hips, " _Aw hell, I don't wanna picture the divorce..."_ he shivered.

Lust petted Gluttony gently on the head, "Looks like it's all over now,"

Gluttony looked hopefully up at Lust, "Can I eat now?" he licked his lips.

Lust giggled, "Let's search for a restaurant," she looked up at Sloth, "You want to join us Sloth?" the lazy Homunculus smiled and nodded.

"Good, I imagine dear old Wrath will be paying for our expenses," she smirked when said Homunculus turned his head toward her.

"...Excuse me?" he blinked in surprise.

"Well, you _are_ the one with the Führer title and the money," she winked and Wrath looked annoyed.

Greed grinned, "Hell yeah, I'm starved! And this prince right here can eat a whole ship full of food if he sets his mind to it,"

Lust turned to Envy, "You coming Envy?" the Homunculus turned to her.

"Just a minute there sister, I need to make my hair," Sloth blinked when Envy carefully and meticulously straightened his palm-tree-lookalike bangs.

"Now that's what I call a family," Hohenheim grinned cheerfully.

"Yeah...or something like that," Ed smiled wryly.

 **The end for now!** Opinions? Wishes for Chapter 100? **BTW: I updated Chapter 35 "Ideas for chapters"! The Request chapter will follow soon! :)**


	95. Sibling Bonding

I'm back! Now...this is a request that's been standing for far too long in the "Request" chapter and left unattended (cough...like some other requests I've neglected T_T)! I'm EXTREMELY sorry about that, really! I'm that type of amateur-writer that writes whatever comes to mind or for whatever I'm in the mood for and I'm terrified of screwing up a chapter if I force myself to write! (bows repeatedly) **Gomen everyone!**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **BuggyNess:** Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :3 Yeah, you're right about being Hohenheim's sins, but I had the idea that, since Father was born from Hohenheims blood, Hohenheim would have implanted their previous memories into them by extracting a bit of the souls from Father in one of their many fights earlier on, that's how they still remembered everything that happened before.

 **Bob:** Thanks a lot! :)

 **Cassey:** Aw thanks! :3

 **GrumpyCatWriter101:** THANK YOU! T_T Aw...damn...I have such awesome readers..(sniff) (reads idea) Ohhhhh, interesting! _Very_ interesting indeed...ohhhh I'm gonna have fun with this one! ^_^ Thanks for the awesome idea! ;)

* * *

 **Sibling Bonding**

 **The Alkahestry Brat and the Big Bad Homunculus**

"Um...Mr. Greed?" Mei Chang slowly, cautiously approached the grumbling Homunculus, who was sitting on the ground of what was left over from the battlefield. It seemed like he was talking to himself, but she knew he was arguing with Ling.

She was holding a roll of gauze and scissors in her hands, Xiao Mei nuzzled the side of her face in encouragement and she bravely repeated her question in a louder voice, "Mr. Greed?"

The Homunculus, the last of his kind now, turned around and the dangerous-looking, slanted violet eyes had scared the hell out of the poor Xingese princess as she and her animal companion simultaneously jumped from the terrifying sight.

He growled in displeasure, "Yeah? Whatcha want brat?" his voice was a low grumble, not the normally smooth, silky voice she usually heard. It sounded strained too, was he in pain?

Mei noticed a small puddle of blood just next to the Homunculus, at first, she had thought it didn't belong to him, but according to his rigid posture and bad mood perhaps it did belong to him after all.

Realizing he was injured, she threw her worries out the window when she sprinted to his front and knelt down to the ground, opting to unroll the gauze.

Greed rose an eyebrow, "Hey! I asked you a question! It's rude to ignore your elders you know?" Greed playfully but gently poked her forehead and she yelped in surprise, rubbing the spot with her hand.

"I'm sorry but you're injured and...and I just have to help you!" unfazed, Greed observed how she continued to unravel the gauze.

"What's the deal with you Xingese people...sheesh, I said I was fine. It should heal any minute now," both Greed and Mei watched the medium sized flesh wound on the side of his stomach expectantly, as if the wound would close in a matter of seconds, which it _should_ , but for some unexplainable reason it didn't.

Mei deadpanned, "Um...it didn't heal..."

Greed exploded in her face, "Yeah I know that!" he scoffed and fell quiet, probably talking with Ling inside his head.

 _"_ _Don't be so harsh on Mei, I think she's a nice girl. Uhm...well for someone who tried to kill me for the throne anyway,"_ Ling grinned innocently.

Greed scoffed, " _Tch, yeah the brat's nice alright but I don't need any help. I'm a badass Homunculus! I should heal! Why am I not healing?"_

Ling's expression turned worried, " _Perhaps your Stone is depleted?"_ there was a brief pause in the air before Greed chased away his worries.

" _You see these souls swimming and screaming around here kid? Nothing's depleted and if it were, big bad Greed wouldn't be here lecturing your royal ass. Hm...maybe my healing factor's disturbed for whatever reason,"_

"Huh? What the hell? It should heal itself damn it!" Greed growled, wincing when he breathed in too deeply and a spark of pain shot through him.

Mei frowned and bravely moved closer to the Homunculus, "Please Mr. Greed, let me heal your wound, maybe you're too exhausted to-"

"I said I don't need help brat!" Greed comically shouted at her, holding his still bleeding side.

Mei _exploded_. Hell, _Kimblee_ would've been proud of her! "Well I don't care! Now shut up and let me heal you!" Xiao Mei looked as distressed as his mistress, baring his small teeth at Greed, who blinked rapidly, in disbelief that this little cinnamon roll just shouted at him.

Greed scoffed, lifting the side of his shirt up, " _Fine_ ," he growled out.

Mei instantly smiled brightly, the mood immediately brightening around her.

" _...The brat's creepy..."_ Greed commented to Ling.

" _It's only because you're being difficult,"_ Ling shot back smugly.

" _Hey! I'm a Homunculus with regeneration powers! This ain't supposed to take this long! Besides, the brat's injured too!"_ Ling sensed Greed's distress at the visible wounds shown on Mei and his worry grew as well, " _You're right..."_

"Hey...why don't you take a rest? You're injured, injured people can't heal other injured people," Greed glared at her.

Mei didn't relent, carefully wiping away the blood, "But I'm not as injured as you Mr. Greed. And I can always go to the doctor later, but if you lose too much blood, it will harm Mr. Ling too," hm...she had a point but still...

"I just think children like you aren't supposed to treat elders when you're injured yourself," Greed scoffed disapprovingly.

"Well, I'm not a child! And you're not that old to be talking that way!" she shot back, fixing him with a firm glare.

Greed would have shrunk back if he were Ling, " _Well...this girl has spunk!"_ Ling chuckled, shaking his head and watching in amusement how things played out.

Greed observed how the little girl treated his injury and a small smile stretched over his handsome face and he gently petted her head, startled, Mei sprung up, looking surprised at the Homunculus.

"Thanks kid, I owe you one," Greed grinned and winked, patting her head almost brotherly.

Mei, flooded with sisterly affection for the older male, launched herself at him, crying waterfalls of tears, "Oh Mr. Greed! You can be such a softie!" Greed's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, blood shooting out of his wound like a water sprinkler as the little girl hugged him with surprising strength.

"HEY! KNOCK IT OFF KID! I'M BLEEDING DAMN IT!" Greed hollered comically, in truth, barely feeling the sting.

Ling was just laughing hysterically inside his head.

* * *

 **The Ice Queen and the Sparkling Idiot**

"Ah, there you are sister," the Strong Arm Alchemist said cheerfully as he entered her office with a smile.

He noticed the lack of any sort of flowers or decorations, he knew his sister very much preferred to live like a Spartan but...

"What do you want, Alex?" cold blue eyes snapped to her brother from her paperwork, a drift of annoyance in her voice.

That though, didn't deter Alex in the slightest, "I've just thought on visiting you on this lovely day!" he posed, thankfully his uniform was still intact, the suns rays shining on him through the window almost like a ethereal being.

Olivier sighed but paused when he suddenly placed the small but beautiful vase full of white lilies on a empty space on her desk, "These are for you, I know you dislike those fancy bouquets so I opted for something elegant and beautiful, just like my sister," his grin sparkled proudly.

Olivier couldn't help but smirk, "Smearing honey on my mouth Alex? Is there something in particular you want?"

Silence ensued.

Then he exploded.

Or rather his shirt did.

"Oh please sister! Please give it back!" comical tears ran down his cheeks as he grabbed onto his sister's leg, who stood up and held the object of his desire out of his reach in the air, her saber poised threateningly over the creature's neck.

"I shall have none of it! No coward such as you deserves such a majestic animal quiet like this!" when Alex looked up at the object of his affections, he froze.

"You...you..." the waterworks broke, "YOU DRESSED HIM AS ONE OF YOUR SOLDIERS?!" his eyes widened, "HE EVEN HAS A SWORD?!"

Olivier smirked smugly, dangling the stuffed animal toy in the air mockingly, the little bear was dressed in a miniature sized blue uniform with a small, plastic sword strapped to his side.

"NOOOOO! MR. MUZZLES!" Olivier kicked her brother right in the face, shoving him away.

"I _told_ you his name _isn't_ Mr. Muzzles! It's Sir Edmund the Great!" she proudly held the stuffed animal in the air, as if holding a newborn baby in glowing sunlight.

Alex balled up into a ball on the floor while Olivier huffed and ordered him out of her office.

 _Several hours later – night time_

Alex Louis Armstrong slowly, as quietly as he could, creeped into the one room he swore he would never enter again without his sister's permission, at least ever since she had shaved him bald and his beautiful hair refused to grow ever again...perhaps it was so scared of Olivier doing it again that it refused to grow again...

He shook his head and quietly squeezed himself through the much too tiny gap the ajar door left open, narrowing his eyes in order to somewhat adjust to the darkness around him and see better.

It has been a while since he was last in Olivier's room, at least since they were children, and he had no idea how many things she changed.

He blinked a few times, managing to make out outlines and slowly, ever so slowly, shadowy shapes and the every bit of a view of his surroundings. He could make out the bed, where his sister lay covered in a thin blanket for the summer, her writing desk stood at the far right corner, there was a small night desk situated to the left of her large queen sized bed, a small petroleum lamp was on it, along with her gloves.

Her trusty saber was just resting against the wall next to her bed, never out of its owners reach and Alex sweated at the thought how fast she could grab it and unsheathe it once his presence was discovered.

As quietly as was possible for a man his size and weight, he tiptoed to Olivier's side, to her bed, and carefully knelt down, his eyes straining to make out the small, fluffy shape wrapped tightly within his sister's embrace.

Wait...

Mr. Muzzles...Olivier was hugging him? In her sleep? She wasn't strangling him? Alex blinked, disturbed by discovering such a new...softer...more childish side to his sister.

His previous plans and plots of snatching away Mr. Muzzles vanished into thin air the longer he stared at his sister holding onto the teddy bear, as if it would chase away her nightmares. His blue eyes softened, the hope in his heart rising again that his sister dubbed as "Ice Queen" may not have been so cold at heart as she always pretended to be.

It was true, he did know she wasn't _completely_ cold, but he never would have thought she was so soft as to sleep with a stuffed toy.

Upon pondering longer on it, it wasn't necessarily that a grown woman was sleeping with a stuffed animal that surprised him, being that the woman was a very powerful and lethal general that commanded a whole platoon of strong men stationed at _Fort Briggs_ , but the fact that, as children, he remembered how he gifted her that bear because Olivier had been depressed after the death of her pet dog.

As young as he was back then, just a little boy, he had thought of cheering up his sister and had went shopping with his mother once, he had spotted the bear at a toy store and there had been more beautiful toys but for some reason, the bear had caught his eye and wouldn't leave him at ease until he finally purchased it with his mother.

Alex clearly remembered how surprised little Olivier had been at Alex gifting her such a toy, but, despite throwing the bear at his head and shouting at him she didn't need pity from a little kid such as him, he also remembered that she was smiling under her long, blonde bangs and that, when he had left the room but hid behind a wall to observe her, she had walked over to the abandoned stuffed animal and held it tenderly against her.

He remembered being so happy she had accepted his gift and was even more surprised she had held onto it for all these years.

He may have pretended that he had been cross with her for renaming Mr. Muzzles, but seeing her looking so peaceful, holding the stuffed toy within her arms...

The alchemist smiled and slowly bent down, placing a gentle, warm hand on top of her blonde head and affectionately kissing her forehead.

" _Goodnight, Olivier,"_ with warmth and brotherly love and affection filling his heart, he quietly left her room, closing the door behind him with a soft ' _click'._

After several long minutes passed, Olivier slowly opened her blue eyes, looking at the door where her brother had left through and touching her forehead where he had kissed her good night.

She sighed, hugging Mr. Muzzles closer to her and sighing, "That idiot brother of mine...I can't believe he entered my room..." she looked down at the bear, "Isn't that right Mr. Muzzles?" she chuckled softly to herself, before closing her eyes and losing herself in the land of dreams.

* * *

 **We will make it**

"B-brother?" Alphonse quietly, uncertainly whispered into the dark room.

It was already late into the night and Alphonse wasn't sure if his brother was sleeping or not, he knew his brother had been exhausted from today's fighting and escaping from Kimblee, not to mention Winry beating him up over destroying her automail again...

"I'm awake, Al," Ed's calm voice echoed in the empty room and Alphonse felt safer for some reason.

"Um...I'm sorry if I woke you," he wrapped his arms around his knees, his eyes a dull glowing red.

"Nah, it's okay, I wasn't really sleeping in the first place," Ed paused for a brief moment, as if thinking of something, then he asked, "Is something wrong?"

Alphonse briefly contemplated about not telling Ed about his doubts, but he wasn't a very good liar and Ed would know immediately when he was lying, "It's just...about what Mr. Kimblee said..." he looked into a dark corner, sensing his brother's eyes on him, "Um...do you think he...he was right?"

Ed's voice took on a serious tone, "You mean what he said about the war? About killing people?"

The nervousness within him grew but nevertheless, he continued, "Y-yes..."

Edward hummed thoughtfully, before saying flatly, "The bastard was right, it's true that, once you don that fancy uniform, you're expected to kill people, even if you don't want to. He was right about being naïve if you join the military and think you aren't expected to kill, because those kinds of people don't last long in this world. Mustang said something similar too..."

Al hung his head down, "Oh..." sadness and doubt creeped up on him like the lethal shadows belonging to Pride.

"But he was wrong about us!" Alphonse was startled by his brother's sudden determined, fired up voice, "He was wrong about us Al! We _can_ get our bodies back and we _will_! There's nothing anyone can say to us that will stop us from achieving our goal you understand?"

Al found his courage growing again because of his brother's encouraging words, "Y-yeah,"

"Right, now if you have these doubts again don't hesitate to tell me alright? After all...what are big brothers for huh?" Al smiled, he could almost see the large, goofy grin his older brother was wearing right now.

"Mhm...thanks brother,"

"No problem Al...now let's get some sleep, tomorrow's a big day. It's the day we will kick Kimblee's white suited butt!" Ed laughed and Alphonse released a amused giggle at his brother's antics.

Yeah...there was no need to fear anything with his big brother by his side...

Because he knew...even if the possibility of regaining their bodies back was only two percent...he knew, his brother would sacrifice his one percent just so Al had a higher chance of getting his real body back.

Because his big brother, despite all his flaws and ticks, was the biggest hero of all to him.

 **Oh man...I almost cried at the end...the feels...damn...**


	96. A Selfless Fool

Hello everyone! I do hope you all enjoy this chapter of mine too!

 _ **NOTE**_ : Sorry about this unannounced one shot! I just had the strong urge to write this and I had to! . Don't worry if everyone agrees, I'll write off your **requests first** before any of my ideas (again) .

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** (giggles) Yup ^^ Ah btw: Lust stabbed Father not Hohenheim when making her grand entrance :3 hihi...gotta have more of these badass scenes

 **Panic:** (scratches neck) Eh, it was LONG overdue! I'm really sorry for writing it NOW and not MONTHS back . Yeah, I think so too, I was thinking of incorporating those sides in other one shots too. (grins) Thanks! :3 I got the idea for the chapter name "Band of Seven" from the anime (one of my FAVORITES) " _Inuyasha_ " original "Band of Seven" (seven mercenaries not related by blood but share a sibling-like bond) they are ALSO powered by a stone called the Shikon no Tama/Sacred Jewel Shard. Ohh the similarities...

* * *

 **A Selfless Fool**

 _A selfless fool who thought he'd save us all..._

"Mama..." the little girl in her arms tugged gently on her pants leg, stretching her little arms out for her mother.

Lena smiled and bent down, picking up her daughter and settling them on the couch, adjusting her on her lap, "Yes Emi?" she looked at her curiously.

Violet eyes blinked, "Can we visit papa today?" the question startled Lena and it struck something within her, a serene but sad expression crossed her features before she replaced it with a small smile.

"Sure, sweetheart, let me just get your sister," Lena carefully settled her eldest on the couch before she walked in the kitchen to retrieve Avaritia.

Emi lazily kicked her feet into the air, patiently waiting until her mother and sister returned. Ava was already running toward the clothes rack, impatiently putting on her shoes, Emi jumped down from the couch and followed suit.

Lena stood there in the living room and observed her two daughters, various thoughts running through her mind because of Emi's sudden question, " _We've visited him last week, is something troubling her to want to see Greed now? She usually wants to see him more often when she's bothered by something,"_ Lena frowned and put on a jacket and helped her daughters into theirs. She took her bag and placed the small bouquet of flowers inside.

The brunette locked her door and took each of the girls by the hand before they descended the small steps down from the porch and onto the dirt path ahead.

The walk was unhurried and mostly quiet, save for Emi and Ava talking in hushed tones or Lena adding her input to what they would be eating for supper today.

However, again, Lena was startled by Emilia's question, "Mama..."

"Yes, sweetheart?" she looked down at the top of her daughter's head, the dark shoulder-length hair gently bobbing and swaying with every step she took.

"Is daddy a hero like uncle Eddy?" her violet eyes shone with curiosity and Lena found herself giggling.

"Yes he is sweetheart, why the sudden questions hm?" she smiled, intent on keeping a calm appearance.

Emilia faced the earth beneath her feet, "Well...I was just curious..." she looked back up at her mother after several long minutes, "Mama...can I talk to papa?"

Lena's eyes widened in surprise, "Why of course you can Emi! Please don't ask such things! Of course you can honey he's your father!" she looked incredulously at her young daughter, trying to figure out what was culminating inside her little head.

She nodded mutely and looked forward. When Lena looked forward, she noticed just how fast they have arrived.

She opened the small gates and waited until Emi and Ava passed before she closed the gates behind her and bypassed all the other standing stones, a small bouquet of lilies and a single red rose in the middle in her hands.

She smiled when she spotted him and walked a bit faster, with her daughters standing on either side of her Lena smiled a small smile, her voice soft and quiet, "Hey there, sweets,"

The atmosphere was quiet and almost serene, the wind softly disturbing the small bouquet of flowers already resting on the grave. Lena knelt down and placed the second bouquet next to the first one, stroking the smooth polished stone softly.

Emi knelt down too, bracing her little hands against the stone, looking with determination at the name written there, _"Beloved Husband and Father and a Badass Friend,"_ Lena giggled softly at the memory, thinking Greed would have liked it.

"Papa...you...you don't have to worry ok?!" Lena froze at hearing these words from her daughter, "I-I'll be a good girl and help mama around the house! I'll be nice to everyone too! And I won't lie! Nu-uh! Lying is for losers! I'll always tell the truth! And I won't pick fights! And...and..." her voice trailed off at the end before, after several long minutes of staring at the stone, she found her fervor again, "And I will protect everyone alright?! I promise papa I will!" tears began to pool in her eyes, "I'll make sure to eat my vegetables, even the ones you didn't eat papa! And I'll drink my milk unlike uncle Eddy! I'll train hard to be as strong as you too!"

After her initial shock had worn off, Lena soothingly rubbed her daughters back, but instead of breaking down into tears, Emilia continued with a big grin that Lena knew all too well, "Because...mama said you're watching us right? So...watch me become the best alchemist papa!" Emi ran to the front of the standing stone and rubbed her little hands over it and for a brief moment, Lena thought she had seen the image of her late husband, how Emi was cuddling him, before it vanished within the blink of an eye again.

"No!" Avaritia suddenly shouted loudly, causing Lena and Emi to look at her in surprise. What...was Ava angry? But why?

Boldly, the younger sibling stepped forward, pointing a finger at her sister, " _I'll_ become the best alchemist _and_ Human-Homuncu...-cu..."

Lena smiled happily, supplying helpfully, "Homunculus?"

"Mhm! Yeah! That too!" Ava nodded vigorously, laughing joyously and hugging a satisfied Emi, who rubbed her small tears away and hugged her sister back.

Lena smiled at the scene, her eyes drifting over to the letters set in stone.

" _If only you could see them now Greed...they're the perfect mix...they have your spunk and my determination I guess..."_ Lena giggled, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes as she looked up at the sky, " _It was too early for you to leave you idiot...there were so many things to be done...you were so happy when you found out about these two rascals...you were so happy to become a father that you sacrificed yourself in order to let them have a chance at the life you were denied..."_ a tear slid down her cheek and she rubbed it away.

" _I suppose...life works that way. You have your future all planned out, or at least, your shared future and then...it's just..._ _ **taken away**_ _from you and you...you just stand there empty handed and...don't know where to go from there..."_ Lena closed her eyes, taking a deep, calming breath, " _Mhm...that's the way things work... I just wish it didn't have to be you Greed...But Ling was right you know? You were a idiot, a idiot for not waiting a bit longer until we found another way to defeat him...you just had to be you and sacrifice yourself!"_ Lena opened her eyes, brimming with tears, a small smile adorning her face, " _But...it was one of the things I loved about you... you stupid, greedy man..."_ Lena placed a hand on Ava and Emi's head, gently, soothingly, stroking their hair.

"Do you want to stay here longer with papa?" Lena smiled serenely, her eyes soft.

Emi and Ava looked at each-other before shaking their heads, "Nu-uh! Nope!" both shouted out suddenly and it startled Lena enough to look down at them in surprise.

Both of her daughters were grinning up at her, Emilia nearly shouted in her determined state, "I'll come back and see papa when I become at least half as strong as him! Right Ava?" she grinned at her sister, Avaritia grinned back, giggling.

She nodded reassuringly at her mother, "Mhm that's right! We can only face dad again if we show him he's got something to be proud of right mom?" she flashed her teeth at her, small teeth that reminded her of a certain someone's.

Lena let the words get processed in her head before she willed herself not to cry and smile instead, "Yeah...you're right kids. Why don't you go until the gate and mommy will come along too alright? But only until the gate! Don't try to go on any of your adventures alright?" she warned semi-playfully, her two daughters nodding before they chased each-other until the gates.

Lena sighed, shaking her head and kneeling before her husband's grave, "Well...that went well huh?" her smile was dry but kind, "If anyone had known you just a bit they would immediately know whose kids they are...sometimes I'm annoyed at you for leaving us so soon but...other times..." dark brown eyes glistened with tears, "Well, you know the answer to that...hm?" she lovingly caressed the stone as if physically reaching him, "Don't worry about the me and the kids alright? I know how much of a worrywart you can be," she giggled and stood.

"Greet Fu, Buccaneer and Kimblee from me alright?" she smiled and turned, walking back to her smiling children.

"I'll grow an Ultimate Shield sooner than you!" Ava stuck her tongue out at her sister, pushing against the older girl.

"Dummy! You can't _grow_ a Ultimate Shield! I'll beat you any day you piss ant!" Emi pushed back, her violet eyes glowing.

Lena's eyes widened, "Emilia! Where did you pick up such words?!" she ran after her bickering daughters back to their house.

* * *

Greed wiped a proud tear away from his eyes, "That's my badass wife..." he willed himself not to cry, "Did you hear that? She called her little sister piss ant..." he froze in realization, leaning over the image of his family he saw through some pool-like thing, "Hey! No calling your sister such bad names! Call uncle Ling that not your sister! _Emi_!" Greed shouted as if his family could actually hear him.

Fu shook his head, "She has grown into a lovely young woman indeed..." despite himself, he smiled warmly,fatherly.

Greed sighed, his eyes warm, "Yeah...my three beautiful girls..." he crossed his arms, pride and affection swelling in his chest.

Sniff...sniff...

Greed rose an eyebrow, turning his head to see none other than Buccaneer with a blush on his cheeks and small tears at the corner of his eyes, "Hey what the-?! What are you crying for?!"

Buccaneer flushed, "...I can't...I can't believe it..." he furiously wiped at his eyes before he delivered a powerful automail fist straight at Greed's face, sending him crashing to the heavenly white ground as if a bear mauled him, "WHY DO ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL WOMEN CHOOSE SUCH IDIOTS?!"

Greed's head was up in seconds, eyes blazing, "HEY! WHO'RE YOU CALLING AN IDIOT?! AND STOP OGLING MY WIFE DAMN IT!"

Buccaneer snorted, crossing his massive arms, "It's not fair...the world isn't fair..."

"You wanna fight ice bear?" Greed ripped off the sleeves of his coat, growling as Fu tried to stop him from starting a fight in heaven.

"Even if I fight you Homunculus, it will not change the fact that this world continues to be unfair!" Buccaneer threateningly raised his claw-like automail arm in the air.

The gentleman in white rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Hm..." a small smirk grew on his face, "It appears to me your wife seems lonely Greed..." Kimblee grinned and what Greed saw in his mouth...oh _he will-_

"A Philosopher's Stone?!" Buccaneer and Fu exclaimed, momentarily forgetting about Greed.

"If by chance I am able to resurrect myself, I would like to volunteer to keep the lovely Miss Lena some company-"

Greed's Ultimate Shield covered fist was faster in his face than Kimblee could clap his hands, "DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL YA PERVERTS! HANDS OFF MY WIFE! YOU SHOLD HAVE BEEN SENT TO HELL WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING HERE?!"

Kimblee rubbed his sore jaw, thankful he couldn't suffer any drastic injuries, he _was_ dead after all, "Interesting question indeed, you see, I've helped in defeating Pride in the last battle so I suppose dear Truth has proposed to overlook some of my mishaps,"

Greed deadpanned, "You call initiating a genocide "mishaps"?" Buccaneer comically crashed to the ground, muttering how life was unfair.

Kimblee scoffed, crossing his arms, "That alone is a question of perspective..."

Greed opted to show him through his fists alone what _his_ perspective on the matter was.

Nobody makes goo-goo eyes at his wife and gets away with it, be it heaven or hell.

 **A little short something! Hope it was enjoyable :)**


	97. Two minds, Two hearts, Two women, One

**NOTICE:** I've removed the **"Author's Note Chapter 100"** from the list, that's why THIS will be Chapter 97 **NOT** 98!

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Bob:** Eh, 4 more sorry. I had to delete that "Authors note" chapter! :)

 **Cassey:** Hihi, thanks! I'm glad Lena is a likeable OC of mine! :)

 **Siriuslyobsessedwithfour:** Hi there! Thank you so much! :3 I'm glad you enjoyed that chapter I hope you enjoy my other ones as well! :)

Oh and a **single** warning, randomness and hilarity ensues! ;)

* * *

 **Two minds, Two hearts, Two women, One body?**

Greed grinned as Lena wound her arm with his and giggled at something he said, he enjoyed the feeling of her soft body against his, how her cheeks reddened whenever he would place a soft kiss on her forehead, surprisingly kiss her on the lips or joke about something, the way her hips swayed gently in the dress he had bought for her, instead of daring like many have thought him to buy, he bought a elegant red dress that fit her figure but didn't show of anything too much.

He enjoyed the way small dimples formed on the corners of her mouth whenever she smiled so widely at him, the way her hair smelled from her shampoo whenever he wouldn't be able to resist and take a whiff of it, the way she snuggled closer to him looking for warmth where it wasn't in the slightest bit cold, the way-

" _Boooooooriinggg!_ " Greed froze, his brain shutting down at the _insolent_ , _annoying_ voice of _HIM_!

" _WHAT THE-?!"_ Greed looked around and spotted him, Ling, that little-!

" _What the hell was that?! I'm in the middle of a date with Lena god damn it!"_ Greed roared at the bored prince, his soul nearly placating him entirely. Oh how he _wished_ he could just rip him to pieces with his teeth and-

" _Ugh, it's so boring in here all day and all I hear are thoughts about Lena! And most of them I_ _ **don't**_ _want to hear!"_ Ling frowned and crossed him arms, but after a minute or two, he grinned slyly, " _But I didn't know you could be such a romantic..."_ a chibi-like expression grew on Ling's face and he laughed.

A tic mark appeared on Greed's forehead as he tried making sense of the situation again, " _Hey, hey, hey! I'm not bothering_ _ **you**_ _when you're out with_ _ **your**_ _lady am I?! Now shut up and let me enjoy my thoughts damn it!"_

Ling sighed heavily, falling onto his back in his utter boredom and whining noisily.

Lena felt annoyance rolling off of Greed in _waves_ , "Greed? Are you alright?" she tilted her head questionably, trying to figure out if it annoyed him that she clung to him so.

Now, normally Lena wasn't the clingy type, except if she was intoxicated, but she felt in a happier mood today and thought it was perfectly fine with Greed to walk a bit closer together than they usually did but now to his newfound annoyance she wasn't so sure...

Greed seemed to snap out of whatever he had been in and looked at her, grinning, eyes closed, "Uh, yeah, sorry sweetheart. The prince's getting on my nerves," he chuckled, attempting to cover up.

Lena smiled and sighed in relief, "Oh...I'm sorry, I completely forgot about Ling. He must be bored out of his mind hm? Why don't we call it a night and let him get some rest? I'm sure he's tired from our antics today," she smiled reassuringly causing Greed's jaw to drop.

Ling was up from his slouched position in seconds, " _SHE'S AN ANGEL! MARRY HER YOU STUPID HOMUNCULUS! MARRY HER! KISS THE GROUND SHE WALKS ON AND WORSHIP HER FEET!"_

Greed _exploded_ ," _I WANTED TO WORSHIP EVERY PART OF HER BUT I CAN'T BECAUSE YOU WOULD SEE HER NAKED TOO!"_

Ling paused, confused, " _Eh? But I'm not interested in Lena-"_

Greed didn't let up, " _You better not be! I don't care piss ant! Nobody but me sees my woman without her clothes on!"_

Ling rolled his eyes and stood up, with intense concentration, Ling focused on his own soul and neglected all the other souls sharing his body and finally when he opened his eyes again, he was looking straight at Lena with his very own eyes.

She immediately noted the difference and knew who was in control, "Ah, Ling, hello," she smiled bashfully.

Ling grinned back, hugging her suddenly to him tightly, "Oh Lena! You're an angel! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" what was meant to be a purely friendly hug seemed to ignite Greed's wrath.

" _HEY! NO TOUCHING MY LADY! GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!"_ Greed growled and roared inside his head, pushing against the invisible cage to regain control of Ling's body.

But Ling wasn't even fazed, saving his energy for small moments of freedom, "So, how are you this lovely evening?" he grinned innocently.

Lena stepped a bit back from to not be so intimately close and smiled back, "I'm fine thank you and yourself?"

Ling grinned, "Ahhh, as good as ever! I don't have to listen to Greed's thoughts all day!" he released a breathless, relieved sigh.

The woman beside him rose an eyebrow in curiosity, "Oh really? Do tell, what thoughts?" she smirked.

Ling's expression grew devilish and his imagination on dangerous levels. Greed would be eating _dirt_ tonight.

"Well, there was this time when he was in the shower getting ready for your date, did you know he talks to my duck?" Ling smiled innocently.

Lena's expression was highly amused, "Mr. Ducky?" she tilted her head, her lips quivering to not break out into laughter.

Ling laughed, "Uh-huh,"

 _"_ _I'LL BAN YOU INTO THE PITS OF HELL! I HOPE YOU CHOKE ON AIR! CHOKE DAMN IT CHOKE! I HOPE YOU'LL GET HIT BY A TANK! WHERE'S ARMSTRONG WHEN YOU NEED HER?!"_ Greed comically raged inside their mind.

Ling just grinned, "Sorry, me no understand this funny language,"

* * *

Lan Fan panted as she blocked another kunai aimed at her neck, followed by a swift, strong kick to her midsection, her forearm coming to guard her opening and immediately retaliate against her assailant with a swift jab to the ribs, momentarily making her opponent stagger.

"Oww that hurt Lan Fan!...in here..." the male pointed to his chest, where his heart was, and Lan Fan blushed under her mask, fighting the urge to roll her eyes and reprimand the prince...or should she say _emperor._

"My Lord, please concentrate, we are in the middle of training," Lan Fan made sure her voice didn't reveal her emotions, her flustered state rapidly being stomped down by her firm sense of duty to her superior.

" _Yes,_ _ **my Lord**_ _, concentrate!"_ Greed grinned, sharp, demonic teeth flashing as he laughed, the laugh of the Homunculus echoing inside Ling's head.

Ling's eyes narrowed, " _Not a word from you! I had to endure listening to how adorable and beautiful and smart Lena was for nearly 22 hours! Now shut up and leave me in peace!"_ Ling snapped back, annoyed with the grouchy Homunculus.

That earned a low whistle from Greed, " _Ohh, the dog can bite huh? Well, ya ain't getting away unpunished! I don't care if you're the Emperor of Xing, you ruined my date you mangy jerk!"_ Greed's rage flared, the powerful chi licking at the restraints Ling had on him.

Lan Fan easily detected the flare in chi, belonging to the Homunculus and wondered what it was they were mentally conversing about as she blocked another strike from her master and friend.

Ling smirked, " _As if you need me to ruin your date! You can do that all by yourself!"_ before Greed could make a very nasty retort that would even prompt mothers to wash their children's ears should they hear such a thing, a familiar, lovely voice suddenly called out.

"Hey Lan Fan!" Lena called happily, waving at the ninja woman who sheathed her weapons and straightened, waving back with a smile at Lena.

"Hello Lena," she greeted pleasantly, a tired smile on her face before she quickly took off her mask, shyly blushing when Lena giggled at the action.

" _Oh no, don't! GREED-!"_ Ling's warning was promptly cut off when Greed's thoughts invaded the whole abyss of souls inside his head.

" _MY LADY!"_ Ling found himself to be the one sitting among the screaming souls while watching in seething anger how Greed, in _his_ body, starting running full speed toward his beloved.

Lena jumped, "G-Greed?" she recognized the rakish grin he bestowed her with and the all too familiar violet eyes lighting up in happiness and mischief.

She squealed in surprise when he wrapped his arms around her waist and hauled her up in the air, twirling her about as she frantically grabbed his head to steady herself, "W-woah! Greed! Uh, nice to see you too!" she chuckled in embarrassment, blushing when Lan Fan's expression turned sly and teasing.

Greed grinned, pressing his face into her soft stomach covered by the fabric of her shirt, nuzzling into her like a big dog.

 _"_ _Oh please Truth save me from this torture..."_ Ling drawled and the words prompted Greed to retort back.

" _Shut it piss ant! Let me enjoy my woman for a while!"_ his grin only widened, laughing as he twirled her about before finally setting her down.

Lena briefly wobbled on unsteady feet, grasping her boyfriend's broad, _bare_ shoulder to steady herself, Greed wiggled his eyebrows, a grin on his face, "What? Growing weak knees in my presence?"

Lena frowned flatly, "No...but I _think_ it's from your _spinning_!" she playfully swatted at his chest and as punishment Greed grabbed her wrist and snugly pressed her to him.

His grin was devilish and Lena's face flushed against her will, oh she was always weak against that sexy, roguish smirk he gave her. Though very unlike how people viewed him, Greed leaned down and bestowed a gentle, loving kiss on her forehead, grinning widely and nuzzling into her hair.

"I missed you sweets," Lena chuckled softly at his remark, his own voice had turned softer.

"Yeah, yeah, I missed you too," Lena rolled her eyes playfully, before quickly and roughly shoving him away when she noticed poor Lan Fan looking like a third wheel, awkwardly shfitng her weight and looking everywhere but at them.

It dawned on Lena, " _Ah! That's right! Oh my god what the hell am I doing?! Her boyfriend's in there too! Damn it!"_ Lena quickly moved at least three large steps away from Greed, who looked like a kicked puppy.

"Uh, sorry Ling! I..um...I..." Lena scratched the back of her neck awkwardly, blushing profusely. Lan Fan did the same.

Greed was not amused, " _DAMN IT LING! Even without you interfering you're ruining my day! Ugh!"_

Ling was smirking smugly, " _Why I don't know what you mean, dear Greed,"_ his eyes opened and suddenly he found himself in possession of his own body again.

The kind smile and closed eyes of Ling greeted both women, "Hello ladies, my apologies, it seems like I forgot to take Greed out to a walk today that's why he's so moody," he laughed.

Lena smiled awkwardly and Lan Fan just looked out of place. Until Ling set his eyes on her and she instinctively shivered.

"Lan Fan is such a cutie right Lena?!" Ling wrapped an arm around Lan Fan's shoulders, pressing her close to him and nuzzling his face against her own.

"Uh, yeah she sure is," Lena winked at a tomato faced Lan Fan, who squeaked at being so intimately close to her Emperor and close friend.

"Your concentration may be a little off Lan Fan, but you did good today," Ling boldly clapped Lan Fan's lower back, just above the curve of her behind and she flushed a ripe tomato red.

Lena covered her mouth with her hands, highly amused by the whole situation, not to mention fighting down from laughing out loud for Lan Fan's sake.

Lan Fan looked like she wanted to retort something in the lines of, " _Actually, it was you who wasn't concentrated today,"_ but she chose to leave her thoughts to herself, swallowing down her embarrassment as her face took on a relatively normal rosy color.

Lena grinned, discreetly giving Lan Fan a 'thumbs up' gesture and winking suggestively, which resulted in Lan Fan covering her red face while Ling just laughed and continued hogging her to himself.

Lena shook her head smiling then she called playfully, "Hey Greed! Maybe you should start hogging me too, I feel like a third wheel here!"

 _"_ _I'M COMING SWEETS! HANG ON! YOUR BADASS MAN IS COMING!"_ Ling's eyes widened as Greed announced his comeback boldly and he felt his control waning.

What was meant to be a joke was taken quite seriously as she was suddenly enveloped in strong, warm arms and her boyfriend nuzzling her like a oversized, cuddly cat.

Lena mumbled into Greed's solid chest with a blank expression on her face, poor Lan Fan staring clueless and somewhat hurt, "Uhm...oh Greed darling..."

"Yeah sweetie?" Greed grinned widely.

A fist in his face quickly snapped him out of his favorite place, "TELL LING TO COME OUT AND GO OVER TO HIS GIRLFRIEND!" Lena roared, looking like a demonic bull with red glowing eyes and steam escaping her nose as she growled at her boyfriend.

Greed backtracked in a frenzy, feeling his girlfriend's wrath rolling off her in waves, "B-but I wanted some cuddle time with-"

" _NOW!"_ Lena wasn't one to be trifled with when angry...

Ling was out and about in seconds.

Lan Fan's face was burning as Ling situated her on his lap, player with her hair and talked about how sunny the weather was and how stupid Homunculi could be, all the while Lan Fan's face taking interesting different shades of red.

* * *

"Alright...we have called for an intervention because this can't go on any longer," Ed stood tall with crossed arms, sweat forming at his forehead as he sighed heavily. A banner with the word " _Intervention Personality Disorder_ " was hung up on the wall, Winry, Mei, Al, Roy and Riza all stood behind him, nodding their heads in approval.

Greedling was sat on a stool, with Lena and Lan Fan on either side of him and he rapidly looked between the two women.

"Greeling you-"

"Stop calling me that kid! It's _Greed_!" Greed barked at the Fullmetal Alchemist, "And why the _hell_ am I bound to a chair?!" Greed fruitlessly squirmed in his seat, trying to free himself of his steel bonds. Well damn.

Ed crossed his arms, "I don't care! And stop calling me kid!" Ed grit his teeth before taking a calming breath, "We decided that we need to solve your problem..." he pointedly looked between Lan Fan and Lena then looked back at Greed.

"I don't see a problem!" Greed shot back, huffing in annoyance.

Lena rose an eyebrow, pointedly looking at her boyfriend, who turned his head away and attempted to stubbornly ignore her look.

She sighed, "Greed...don't you think that _this_ ," she gestured with her finger between herself and Greed, "-will be a problem in the near future?"

Greed chose to be oblivious today, "No...I can always beat Ling into submission and we will have our peace!" he shot back.

"Well would you want your soulmate _Ling_ to see me naked too?!" she glared at him.

" _Ohhhh!"_ a chorus of suggestive and surprised ' _oohhs'_ came from the whole team.

Greed froze, robotically turning his head toward her, his brain short circuited, "Uhm, uh, w-wha-wha-huh? Come again sweets? Could you r-repeat that I think I heard it wrong..." a dazed look crossed his features.

Lena sighed with a blush on her cheeks, she leaned forward toward Greed and whispered into his ear.

A few seconds passed before Lena backed away from him and Greed straightened up, his voice flat and serious, "We need help," he nodded in assurance.

Ed sighed, slamming his hand against his face, "Oh brother..." he shook his head, "W-well, finally you realized it! Sheesh..." there was a light blush on his cheeks from Lena's earlier comment, which made him immediately think of his wife Winry, who just smirked in triumph.

"So, can you take him out of me or what?" it was Ling this time, his face completely relaxed.

"Hm...perhaps we can help them with alchemy brother?" Alphonse asked curiously, sharing a wondrous look with Mei.

Ed rubbed his chin thoughtfully, before spotting the ever present wrench on the coffee table. He grinned.

He walked towards the small table and picked up the wrench, silently marveling at its heavy weight and how his wife was able to swing a wrench so many times a day, especially at a moving target, him.

Ed approached the sitting Ling, who looked up at in confusion. Lan Fan tilted her head and Lena smirked.

Ed promptly swung the wrench at Ling's head and a roar of pain echoed in the Elric-Rockbell house.

This time Greed was back in control, clutching at his regenerating head, " _WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR YOU FULLMETAL PUNK?!"_

Ed shrugged, sighing, "I thought I could beat you out of Ling..."

Winry snorted and walked up to her husband, "Now Ed, that's not how you do it." She calmly plucked her wrench from his grasp, her eyes twinkling in mischief.

Lena and Lan Fan quickly moved out of the way for fear of collateral damage.

"What?! No wait don't-!" Greed began to say but was cut off by Winry's all mighty right wrench hook, K.O.-ing him in the first hit.

Greedling's nose was a bloody mess, probably broken, his face scrunched up as the stool broke and cracks along the wall appeared from the impact against it.

Ed was holding up a poster reading " _BEST WRENCH!"_ in bold, red letters and Winry smirking proudly to herself, sparkling just like a certain Strong Arm Alchemist.

Lena and Lan Fan looked at their boyfriends before turning to look back at their friends.

Both women sighed, "It looks like _they_ need help..." Lena nodded to Lan Fan's statement, fully supporting her claim.

Their friends needed help. _Fast_.

 **Hihi, done for now! :3 BTW:** Anyone want me to write a funny chapter based off of "America First" videos with all those countries but here it will be "Amestris Second, Xing Third"? It's on **Chapter 35: Ideas for Chapter!** Look it up and tell me what you think! Yes or no?


	98. Love is

Hey everyone!

 **QUESTION! :** So does everyone agree for me to use Panic's idea for **Chapter 100**? Writing 100 "Words and Sentences" portraying different couples/friendships? If you want, suggestions for couples and friendships are welcome! :)

 **NOTE:** Chapter 35 updated! :)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Panic:** haha Yeah, I know what you're getting at. I've thought of including their insecurities and pain a little more, but I wanted for that chapter to have more of a comedic tone. Thanks! I'll write them as soon as I'm finished writing chapter 100! ;) T_T Thank youuuu! And ofc I'll write that! No worries! ;) My writing...*sniff* being fantastic... *sniff* how blessed I am to have readers like you! T_T

 **Love is...**

Love is friendship set on _fire._

She was looking at him as if she were ready to give him another close call concussion with her brand new titanium wrench and his fingers just _itched_ to transmute that piece of metal into something fluffy so she couldn't nearly kill him with it anymore.

But the deep affection she held for him was right behind the thin mask of anger she wore and the feelings briefly startled him, snapping him to calmness and ignoring the wrench that she waved threateningly over his head like a weapon.

Winry's eyes widened when her husband suddenly stepped very close to her and grabbed her wrist, before she could protest, he smashed their lips together in a ferocious kiss which left her breathless. Her mind foggy, her knees turning weak, and her beloved wrench clanking loudly upon impact on the floor as she wrapped her arms around his neck and decided _this_ was far better than any of their silly arguments.

* * *

Love is confusing but fulfilling...

"It's over now huh?" Ling asked, sadly looking up at the sky, as if still seeing the vanishing remains of Greed as the Homunculus sacrificed himself in order to gain the upper hand on Father.

Everything was over now, Father was dead, the Homunculi defeated and the Elrics had their original bodies back.

Lan Fan nodded mutely, biting her bottom lip uncertainly as her fists clenched, blood dripping from her automail arm down her finger tips, soaking into the earth.

Her eyes widened in surprise when she felt a larger, warmer hand suddenly grasp her human one. Surprised, she looked up into Ling's dark eyes, who were soft and sad at the same time.

He gave her a small, reassuring smile, "No matter what happens from here on now Lan Fan, we will stay together alright?" he smiled at her and Lan Fan blushed, overly aware of the fact her mask was broken and she didn't have another spare one to cover her blushing face with.

Ling noticed her blush and laughed, slinging an arm around her shoulders, "Yeah...we will stick together," he grinned, a small blush on his cheeks but no where near Lan Fan's full on tomato red.

"M-My Lord," she was sure being this close to her superior was in no way allowed as her instincts and sense of duty kicked in, waging a war with her real emotions for the handsome prince.

Ling sensed her discomfort but ignored it, smiling softly, "Ling,"

Lan Fan's eyes widened before she sighed and stopped squirming, hesitantly reaching a shaking hand out to touch Ling's.

It was the Xingese princes turn to look down at her surprised, her fingers shyly entwined with his own and gave a gentle squeeze.

He smiled, leaning his cheek against her hair.

Their future was an uncertain one but their feelings were clear.

* * *

Love is amazing with a bit of danger.

"Colonel!" Riza quickly kicked the Colonel's feet from under him and started shooting at Scar, her superior's girly squeak of surprise and fear would have made her laugh if not for the serious situation at hand.

Over the loud gunfire of Riza's rifle, the Lieutenant glared back at Roy, whose heart was beating a mile an hour, "You're useless when you're wet Colonel, stand back and let us take care of him,"

Roy's flabbergasted expression would have even made the seasoned, all time serious Riza burst out laughing if she weren't too busy trying to fire a hole in the rogue Ishvalan's head.

"Lieutenant?" Roy blinked when Riza suddenly locked the door to his office and started approaching him, his fear growing, thinking she might just kill him here in his chair and that's why she locked the door.

"I've looked over the paperwork from yesterday and I highly doubt you would finish it today anyway, sir," Roy froze when Riza suddenly yet neatly, pushed aside a stack of papers, leaving room on his desk, where she _sat on_. The modest length of her skirt riling up as she crossed her shapely, trained legs and used one hand to lean back against the desk slightly. The smooth looking skin of her legs were exposed.

Roy's brain shut down and his air supply crumbled to bits, "So, why not take a much needed rest, _Colonel Mustang_?" the way she said his title and name made his brain turn to mush, a small, seductive smirk on her lips.

Roy Mustang was a dead man.

* * *

Love is innocent and pure.

"Wait Mei, let me help you," Alphonse smiled and took the heavier bags from his girlfriend, letting her carry the more lighters ones.

Stars danced in Mei Chang's eyes as she looked up at her beloved Alphonse, "Oh my lovely Alphonse! You're too good to me!" Mei launched herself at her tall boyfriend, causing the poor man to blush shyly and scratch the back of his neck, steadying both her and the grocery bags so the eggs wouldn't break.

A few passing people looked at the couple and smiled, chuckled or gave Alphonse a knowing look. The poor man's face stood no chance of _not_ reddening any further.

But when he looked down at Mei's dark hair, his embarrassment and shyness was forgotten as he leaned down and took a long inhale of the nice smelling shampoo she used. It wasn't too strong that it bothered his nose and it sent a pleasant tingle down his spine as he fingered the soft, silky strands.

"A-Alphonse," Mei hid her red face against his chest as her boyfriend continued gently stroking her hair.

* * *

Love is unconditional and warm...

"Maes!" a young Gracia cried out as she started running towards her beloved, spreading her arms wide, her pale blue dress fluttering behind her as she ran.

Both Roy Mustang and Maes Hughes turned around at the call, with Maes immediately dropping his bag to the ground and spreading his arms out, catching the woman in his embrace and twirling her around in the air.

" _Now why do I feel like a third wheel?"_ Roy thought begrudgingly but nonetheless smiled at the heartfelt scene, once Maes let Gracia down, both stared deeply into the others eyes and Gracia buried her face into his chest.

"I've missed you so much Maes...I thought you...I thought-" she sobbed, clutching at his white coat.

Maes' expression softened, those haunted eyes in Ishval were no more, his scarred hands encircled Gracia's waist and pulled her close, close against a battered and beaten body showing the atrocities of war.

No...it hadn't been a _war._ A war consisted of two opposing sides battling each-other until there may or may not be a conclusive winner. But _this_ had been a one sided _annihilation_. One _he_ had participated in.

" _How can you possibly hold her with that blood on your hands?"_

Maes closed his eyes and hugged Gracia tighter, the woman was surprised with how closely and tightly he suddenly held her and she rested a gentle hand on his forearm, "Maes? Is everything alright?"

With eyes firmly closed, Hughes smiled, the images of Ishval, the smell of death, the sight of blood fresh in his mind, "Yeah...everything is fine,"

Gracia smiled, hugging her beloved tighter.

But the most genuine smile was on Hughes' face, because he vowed to always be happy whenever he was with her and all he could do was hope she would accept him for who he was.

Gracia Hughes stood in front of his grave, setting the boquet of flowers on it before gently caressing the name etched into the polished stone, "I've always accepted you for who you were Maes," her eyes glistened with unshed tears but her smile was genuine.

* * *

Love is frightening and uncertain.

"We shouldn't be doing this," she whispered against the cool, night air.

He sighed, "I know,"

She turned around, gaze guilty, "Then...why are we doing it? This has to stop Greed," the Homunculus' proud, broad shoulders slumped with the sadness those words brought him.

"The battle will be over soon," his voice was soft, quiet, as if a certain shape shifting sibling of his was nearby, spying on them, discovering their little secret.

"But will they accept it?" her words hung heavy in the air and Greed moved in close to her.

She didn't move away when he cupped her cheek, didn't push him away when he rubbed the smooth skin and smelled her hair, keeping her close.

"Greed..." she mumbled into his chest, placing a soft, meaningful kiss on his throat.

He swallowed, tightening his grip on her, " _I know_ ," and she did too.

Their love was frightening, uncertain, _forbidden_ but...it was _theirs_.

Greed leaned his forehead against her own, violet eyes staring deeply into dark brown ones, "Everything will be fine sweets..."

A dry smile marred her features, "Promise?"

He smirked, "I guarantee it," they chuckled and basked in the others presence.

"I have to go," she whispered.

"Do you?" was his response.

Her smile said it all.

"No," she hugged him close, "I'll stay,"

He softly pinched her waist, "You better," she smiled, burying her face against his neck.

"Um...dad?" the man in question raised his head and arched a brow when he saw the tall, familiar man standing next to his daughter, for once looking nervous, Lena smiled and gestured towards Greed, "This is Greed, my...my boyfriend," she grinned nervously.

Her father stood up from his chair, "I know who he is, I've heard of him," his features were sharp, eyes narrowed.

Lena felt Greed stiffen beside her and she squeezed his hand reassuringly, her own nerves fraying at the seams, waiting anxiously how her father would react. Greed swallowed down his nervousness and squeezed back.

* * *

Love is naïve and full of mistakes...

 _"_ _Tch, I don't need your help Winry!" a teenaged Edward stomped angrily, sans automail arm, the view would have been amusing if one Winry Rockbell wasn't so angry herself._

 _She hurled her wrench at his stupid head, "Well fine! If you don't need my help then you can walk around like that on your travels! I don't care!" she growled and ignored the pained yelp of her childhood friend, slamming the door to her room shut and opting to reorganize her equipment laying scattered on her workbench._

 _"_ _Stupid Edward, stupid arm, argh!" she tore at her hair, frustrated beyond belief._

 _"_ _Stupid, stupid, stupid! Just why did I even fall in love with a idiot like that?! Ugh! He can be so childish at times! Stupid Ed!" she tightened her workgloves and roughly set to work on cleaning her workbench, which was full of oil marks._

 _Ed's lips were set in a thin line, holding the wrench in his hand as he listened in on Winry's rant inside. With a deep breath, he opened the door._

 _"_ _What?!" Winry shouted without turning around to see who entered her room, she thought it was granny or Alphonse._

 _The person remained silent._

 _"_ _Granny, I'm not in the mood to talk, Ed's being an idiot and I-" she turned around finally, narrowed blue eyes settling on the person that entered her room but instead of the short Pinako, it was Ed._

 _Ed's expression was grim, concerned and guilty, he lowered his head down, "You're right..." his voice was small, quiet, "I am an idiot...I'm sorry I never thank you enough for all the stuff you do for us, I'm sorry I don't show how much I appreciate to have you here and fix me up whenever I'm wrecked from a fight. I'm sorry I never tell you often enough how amazing you are and how amazing your job is, even if you're a mechanic freak." He remained silent, contemplating on what to say while Winry remained shell shocked._

 _He turned his head to the side, "I'm sorry..." he grit his teeth before bravely lifting his eyes to lock with shocked blue ones, "...for not realizing sooner," his expression softened._

 _Winry froze, briefly asking herself if he may have overheard her overloud rant about how she fell in love with a idiot like him, judging by the look in his eyes he had._

 _Winry bit her lip, turning around and pretending nothing happened, her bangs hiding her eyes, "It's ok Ed," her hands were sweaty and trembling, her heart beating a mile an hour._

 _Her condition worsened when Ed approached her from behind and set down her wrench on the metallic surface of her workbench, resting a warm hand on her shoulder and squeezing. His hand seemed bigger than she remembered it._

 _"_ _No it isn't Win," he muttered quietly, sighing, "Just...just remember, whenever I throw a fit and I'm angry, I don't mean it, never towards you." He squeezed her shoulder a bit tighter and the feeling made her face grow hotter, "But...you're an idiot for not realizing it too,"_

 _Her eyes widened and when the warmth of his hand left her shoulder and she turned around to look at him, the last thing she saw was his back as he shut the door closed quietly._

 _Winry stood there with her mouth open in shock, her heart hammering in her chest and her cheeks a light pink._

 _She smiled softly. Maybe she_ _ **was**_ _an idiot for not realizing what was in front of her all along._

* * *

Love is _eternal_.

" _I'm sorry, I couldn't keep our promise_ ," Trisha smiled, despite her illness, smiled.

Hohenheim closed his eyes, tears sliding down his aging cheeks as he looked at the grave he was sitting in front of with a warm smile, expression calm, eyes knowing of the blessing that will befall him soon; he will die. He will finally be able to die.

"Trisha," he whispered, so softly that he was sure nobody would hear it if they were sitting next to him, "I wasn't the husband you deserved, I wasn't a good father to our children," his sad smile lifted slightly, "Edward has quite the attitude, he keeps calling me 'bearded bastard'." He chuckled but turned serious once more.

"Though...I suppose that's what I get hm? I don't blame him, I wasn't there for them both when they needed me most, when you were unable to be with them any longer... I was surprised how Alphonse accepted me so quickly. I must say I've terribly missed someone calling me "father" or "dad". It's silly, isn't it?" he shook his head, "But I don't mind. I've lived far beyond what my mind and body can take,"

"I hope after all this time, you're still waiting for me Trisha..." Hohenheim smiled, hanging his head down in peace for his final moments.

* * *

Love is...platonic.

 _Some say describing platonic love can be difficult. Others say platonic love is normal love with the absence of sexual intercourse. There are also those people that say platonic love is shared between close friends, which is no love at all but intense closeness to one another and a mutual level of understanding. In that term, love isn't love at all but simple close friendship._

Ed grinned as he sparred with Lena, catching her unexpectedly by her foot and holding her upside down with only one arm, grinning wickedly.

"W-wha the-!? Hey! That's not fair!" a shocked Lena shouts in protest, swinging her fists to try and knock Ed off balance but he just moved out of her reach.

She huffed in annoyance and Ed's grin widened, "Ha! Lookie here, you've gotta do better than that if you want to beat me- oompf!" Ed wheezed out in pain when Lena managed to land a kick to his stomach, her leg muscles burning as Ed carefully lowered her to the ground as he fell like a log on the soft, green grass beneath him.

He held his stomach and panted, Lena rearranged herself and laid down next to him, panting from their physical exertion.

"See? That's what _you_ get for being so cocky," she playfully punched his shoulder, laughing when he snorted and flicked her forehead.

"Alright, alright, I give," Ed muttered in defeat, a grin still present on his face.

"Hey! Come back here! Why are you so cruel Greed?! WHY?!"

Both alchemists raised their heads up to see a frantic looking Ling trying to catch a runaway Homunculus , who had a sandwich stuffed in his mouth and a bag of chips and other sweets in his arms.

Den was hot on their heels, barking all the way, most probably either wanting to bite Greed in the ass or snatch the snacks from the two men.

Lena rolled her eyes, "Oh Greed..." she shook her head, Ed laid back down and chuckled.

"You know, sometimes I ask myself how you've gotten stuck with such an ass like him," Ed huffed, grinning.

Lena giggled, pretending to think, "Gee, I don't know, maybe because he was the only one showing an interest in me?" she laughed at her own joke but her evident low self-esteem put Ed at unease.

"Ah, really? You mean to tell me he had no competition? What about Buccaneer? And Kimblee? Wait, didn't Envy like you or something?" Lena gave him a blank look.

"Ed...are you kidding me? Buccaneer's just shy around women in general, that's why he hasn't worked up the guts to confess to Olivier yet. Kimblee only loves his explosions, he was just being a gentleman...maybe a bit of a creepy gentleman but a gentleman nonetheless. And Envy...he just likes to tease Greed, don't worry. I've talked with Envy over that, he doesn't really like me like that, he just likes ruffling Greed's feathers that's why he's pretending to like me," she giggled.

Then Lena remembered something, "Wait...how did you even think of _Kimblee_ of all people?" her eyebrow nearly reached her hairline.

Ed had that expression he usually had whenever he said something confusing and he was forced to explain himself under the threat of facing a woman's, most notably Winry's, wrath. "W-w-well, I-I-I kinda thought he was checking you out or something. Remember when he volunteered to help you with picking decorations for your house? Or when he complimented you how _lovely_ you looked in your dress?" Ed rose a brow suspiciously, leaning in close to Lena for interrogation.

Lena jabbed a finger at him, "Hey! You said the same thing to me too! Besides, Kimblee has a good sense of style, _just look at his suit,_ and he was kind enough to help me out while Winry, Riza and Mei were busy. And poor Lan Fan doesn't have a clue about those things," she sighed.

Ed deadpanned, "Um...neither have you-" she hit him on the head, "OW! Violent women!" Ed defensively rubbed his head, glaring at her.

Lena ignored the remark, "Enough questions?" she rose a eyebrow, daring him to ask anything at all.

Ed wisely kept his mouth shut and stood up, dusting off his pants, "Anyway...let's go inside for a glass of orange juice." He extended his hand out to her, Lena sighed and smiled, accepting the help and letting him lift her up.

She had actually wanted to get up herself and combined with Ed's strength, she nearly smashed her nose against his chest.

"Ow! Ed!" Lena whined as she held her aching nose, rubbing it. Ed placed a soothing hand on her shoulder and leaned in close, trying to determine the damage.

"Ah, sorry! Are you hurt?" Ed tried looking to see if her nose was bleeding, "Let me see," he gently pried her hand away and looked at the damage.

Her nose wasn't broken and wasn't bleeding but he could tell it ached, he looked at her apologetically, "Sorry about that, guess I don't really know my own strength without my automail," Ed chuckled and gently poked her forehead, causing her to playfully glare at him before a small, kind smile appeared on her face.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING TO MY LADY?!" Greed came crashing feet first into Ed's head, slamming his feet against the poor man's head and sending him flying.

Lena's jaw dropped, " _Oh my god ED!"_ she quickly sprinted toward the half dead looking man, lifting his bleeding head up to see if he was still alive.

"Uh...I think my head is broken," Ed muttered, a few swollen bumps covering his face, Lena sighed in relief before shooting a murderous glare at her boyfriend.

" _GREED!"_ he froze, "What do you think you were doing?!" Lena angrily stomped up to him, glaring him in the eye.

" _ME?!_ THAT RUNT KISSED YOU!" violet eyes were blazing with fury and jealousy and Lena pressed a hand against his chest to stop him from advancing on Ed.

"No he did not! For the love of-! I bumped my nose against Ed's chest and he just wanted to see if I was hurt bad you idiot!" she growled, resting her hands against her hips, trying to stare him down.

Greed's expression calmed a bit but he rose an eyebrow suspiciously, "Wait...why did you bump your nose against his _chest_?"

Lena blushed in embarrassment, "C-c-cause I'm clumsy ok?! Besides, me and Ed are only good friends! Completely platonic!" she huffed, "You can sleep with Ling tonight for all I care!" she started going toward their house.

Greed's jaw dropped and he threw his hands in the air, " _What?!_ No! Don't do this to me! He keeps hugging and cuddling me in his sleep! He's _molesting_ me Lena! Lena!" Greed ran after her.

Ed's thoughts were this, " _Ow...this is even worse than Winry's wrench attacks...ugh...should've known Greed was the jealous type..."_

* * *

Love is crazy and fun.

"E-Ed! No wait! I can't dance!" Edward just grinned as he pulled Winry into the dancing crowd, happily dancing to the upbeat tune of the guitar and country music that played.

"C'mon Win! Stop being such a slow poke!" Ed laughed and twirled her around, clapping his hands to the beat.

Winry blushed but smirked, "Slow poke huh? I'll show you!" Winry laughed and started dancing of her own violition, smiling and laughing along with Ed.

Edward blushed when he saw her like this, so carefree and happy, it were one of those rare times when her worry lines would completely disappear and she would let herself go.

He chuckled and pulled her closer, enjoying the dance, the funny atmosphere and Winry.

* * *

Love is _passion_ and _longing_.

"Ed?" Winry blinked in surprise when Ed suddenly shut the door behind him and cupped her face with his large, warm hands, tilting her chin up as his lips met hers in a passionate, loving kiss.

"Uhm, M-Mei, w-wait I-" Alphonse blushed when Mei literally jumped on him, she was clad in a cute and oh so alluring negligee, adorned with small pink ribbons. Alphonse was a goner before his back even hit the bed.

"Sir," Riza placed her gun on Mustang's desk and locked the door, pulling down the shades and sitting on the desk, shapely legs crossed and her mini skirt showing off her long, toned legs.

Her blouse was unbuttoned by the first three buttons, exposing the beginning of her ample cleavage and when the Lieutenant leaned in and whispered those words into his ear, Roy Mustang was fire _itself_ , "You may call me Lieutenant,"

"M-m-my Lord I-" Lan Fan's face was the loveliest shade of red Ling had ever seen as he advanced upon his prey.

"Ah, ah, ah, Lan Fan...what did we say?" he smirked, taking out a leather cord.

"M-Master Ling..." Lan Fan bit her lip, blushing shyly when Ling's grin turned excited and feral.

"That's a good girl..."

" _No!_ " Lena crossed her arms, ignoring the whining of her boyfriend.

"But sweets!" Greed protested, whining like a pup.

Lena whirled around, pointing a finger at him, face red, "Don't you _sweets_ me!" without another word, Lena stormed into the bathroom locking herself in.

Greed deflated like a balloon, throwing himself down on the couch and pouting like a displeased child.

Lena had been acting weird all day today and when he accidentally insinuated she was on her period she went ballistic. Not because of the comment but because Greed _may_ have suggested to let him 'take care' of her so she could 'let loose'. Yeah...bad timing.

Twenty minutes and thirty seconds already passed, Greed counted, and she still wasn't out of the bathroom yet. He was starting to get worried, scratch that, he had been freaking out for the past twenty minutes and thirty seconds! Did he really offend her that much? Lena usually wasn't one to get offended easily, even if he was being a jackass. Before Greed could make up his mind and knock, or at least slam down the door to the bathroom, he heard it open with a click.

The sound of heels rung in his ears and when he turned around to see what was happening, he froze.

She was a vision in black and red. Lena, standing there...in nothing but black heels, a very _short_ nightgown, adorned with red floral designs on black _see-through_ fabric, she wore no make-up, a thing he was grateful for, since it would definitely be smeared beyond recognition once he was done with her.

His mouth watered, gaping open like a fish when she sashayed her way over to him, his eyes glued to her hips, her behind...everything...damn it all to hell...

Lena's seductive smirk was replaced by a worried glance when she looked at him, "Um...Greed?" she tilted her head, blinking.

Oh shit.

He had accidentally activated his full body armor because of his...wandering mind. Greed quickly retracted his shield, muttering half dazedly, "Uh, sorry, kinda got...got distracted," he swallowed, his throat dry.

Lena smiled, slowly settling each toned leg on either side of his hips. Greed suddenly felt like some small fry prey under her blazing gaze.

"So...I'm on top today?" she smiled sweetly, running a hand through his hair.

Instead of usually exhibiting his confidence and bravado, Greed clutched his nose hard to stop the fountain of blood from spewing forth.

Without a word, he nodded vigorously and Lena laughed.

 **Part 1 of this finished!** Good? Bad? Opinions? (sweat drop) I'll write a **Part 2** if everyone would like!


	99. Love is Part 2

Hahah oh thanks a lot guys for the wonderful comments! :3 I admit, maybe I've let my imagination run _too_ wild ^^ I don't know why, but I just had that feeling that Ling and Lan Fan would be into something like that ( _Fifty Shades of Grey_ stuff) I never read the book or watched the movie, but from those few cutscenes I _have_ watched...I can only imagine what the movie must be like XD.

Anyway...ahem, back to the story! So...tomorrow is **Valentine's Day!** Oh you don't have to answer that question if you don't want to btw, I'm just curious what are **your** plans for **Valentine's Day**? :)

 **Requests for the Valentine's Day Special chapter? Write them down! ;)**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** haha Thank you ^_^ Yeah...I'm more in a mood for funny and fluffy one shots lately but don't worry the dark one shots will come soon too ;) haha Hmm...a table of contents huh? Well...I'm not too sure about that, the names of each chapters are already listed and I wrote down the ideas and requests...hmm...well I could write it once I've got some more free time on my hands alright? :)

 **Bob:** Aww thanks Bob! :DD Glad ya liked it! :3 (Ugh, we need more male readers, all I've seen up to now are girls...excluding you but still :P)

 **GrumpyCatWriter101:** hahahaha Oh man, I just had to stop myself from keeling over when reading your review :') hahaha It definitely made me laugh! Eh, to be honest, I've thought of writing a bit more of such..."daring" and / or fluffy one shots featuring them or any other characters like that. Maybe I'll write a separate mini one shot collection featuring more mature content (but I highly doubt I would be any good at writing smut o.o oh the horror..XD). Still, I'm glad you liked it! Hihi, I originally planed that Fifty Shades of Grey stuff with Greed and Lena (because I firmly believe Greed would be into power plays...or something like that ^^).

 **PART 2 WILL BE UPDATED TOMORROW (LONGER CHAPTER!)**

* * *

 **Love is... Part 2!**

Love is full of _adventures._

"Hey! You guys coming or not?" Ed grinned happily, holding onto his backpack as he watched Winry and little Hohen jogging towards him.

"Daddy run away before they catch us!" Sarah was sitting on his shoulders, with her little feet securely in Ed's firm grip to ensure she didn't fall and her little hands messed with his golden hair.

Ed chuckled and turned back around, lightly jogging forward, "You're right about that, let's run faster so your mommy knows how slow she is!" Ed snickered when Sarah laughed and affectionately ruffled his hair.

"I _heard_ that Edward!" Winry panted from the exertion, starting to slowly catch up to her husband with a small smirk on her face.

Ed sent her a roguish grin behind his back, "What? You growing old back there?" he winked and laughed when Winry abruptly picked up speed, nearly catching him before he sped off, Sarah and Hohen laughing all the while at their parents behaving like children.

* * *

Love is educating and healing.

Knowledge is acquired with time and it's up to the people how to use that knowledge to their advantage.

Truth grinned wide, the tall, muscular white form of Truth standing a few feet opposite of Hohenheim, "So, tell me Hohenheim, what have you learned from your relationships with humans?" Truth's teeth were showing, it almost seemed like it was mocking him, but Hohenheim didn't mind.

He smiled, "I learned more from the woman I love than the past decades from the dwarf in the flask and any knowledge you could possibly give me,"

Truth's confidence faltered, surprised at the genuine and inarguably _correct_ answer.

* * *

Love is chaotic and messy.

"Ugh Greed!" Lena furiously picked up the article of clothing off the floor, throwing it straight at her husband's face, "This is the _last_ time I'm picking up your underwear from the floor! What if we have guests and they see your clothes all over the apartment?!" she huffed, blowing a strand of hair away from her eyes.

Greed slowly lifted his hand and removed his own dark boxers from his face, expression blank as he deadpanned, " _My_ clothes? Then tell me is this mine too?" Greed picked up a lacy red bra from the couch, twirling it around his finger.

Lena flushed, "T-that's your fault!" her face was burning.

Greed grinned wickedly, "Oh? So your clothes just _explode_ from your body whenever you see me huh? Lena, you dirty, dirty little girl," he chuckled, whistling and twirling the bra around his finger as he went to the bathroom.

"G-Greed! Hey! Give that back!" Lena sped off after him, hauling her whole body against the Homunculus' back and sending them both down to the floor.

"OUCH!" Greed shouted in pain, his shield covering his whole front to prevent further damage, "You could have just _grabbed my arm_ and not _break my bones!_ " Greed huffed, pouting.

Lena rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, you heal anyway. Besides, you're a pervert," she said it so casually that it sounded like she were talking about the weather.

Greed twitched, "And you're a saint?" he smirked, seeing the blush on her cheeks. She stubbornly crossed her arms.

"W-well, I didn't watch 50 Shades of _Greed_ when I was bored one night! Tch..." she blushed, a pout on her pretty lips.

Greed grinned, "Need I remind you that's a sex tape of you and me?" his grin couldn't possibly be any wider.

Lena's face grew hotter, "I don't care! You dubbed it after yourself! Greedy ass!" she actually sounded _offended_ because of that.

"What? You rather want me dub it "Fifty Shades of Violet"?" he smirked.

She exploded, "That's the color of your eyes!"

He laughed, "Alright, alright. Fifty Shades of Carbon?" he smirked.

Lena jumped off him and stomped to the kitchen, "Ugh! Unbelievable!"

Greed ran after her, "Alright, alright already!" he rubbed his chin for a moment, leaning his trained arms on the kitchen counter, " _Hundred Shades of You and Me?"_ the dark blush on her face made his grin grow wider.

"...maybe," she turned around, pretending to wash her hands in the sink.

"Wait...how can there exist a sex tape of us when we never-" the bashful grin on his face said it all, "Oh my god _GREED!_ You've set up _CAMERAS?!"_ she covered her mouth, face a full blown red.

Greed scratched the back of his neck, face a light pink, "Well...a few,"

" _A FEW?!"_ she was mortified.

He shrugged, "You know...only at places where we sleep together...bedroom, shower, kitchen, living room, storage-"

"WE'VE NEVER DONE IT IN THE STORAGE! AND DON'T MAKE ME LOOK LIKE SOME SEX MANIAC!" Lena covered her flaming face, throwing a wooden ladle at Greed's head. The smug Homunculus dodged it effortlessly, chuckling.

 _A few hours later..._

After waiting for Greed's breathing to even out, Lena quietly tip toed her way towards their bedroom, swiftly searching through DVDs and cassettes to search for that forbidden _tape_.

Face a light pink, she nearly dropped it while fumbling with it clumsily. And then, it happened.

The tape just suddenly... _inserted itself into the DVD player!_

Now, Lena had explained it like this. She supposedly tripped over the carpet, which didn't exist in their bedroom, and the DVD _flew_ straight into the slit and the TV switched itself on.

The rest was history.

When Greed woke up to hear shuffling and squeaking noises coming from their bedroom, he couldn't believe his eyes at what he saw when he arrived at the scene.

His wife, sitting cross legged on the floor, a notepad on her lap and her furiously writing things down. Their sex tape was also running, by the way.

"What...the hell...are you doing woman?" Greed coughed into his hand, ignoring the suggestive sounds coming from the video (s).

Lena jumped and screeched in surprise, clapping her hands together over her mouth and looking like a deer caught in headlights up at Greed. Her notepad full of messy, notes.

Greed swiftly picked it up before she could snatch it back, his eyebrow arched when he read it aloud, " Point 1, try bounding Greed with titanium next time since he destroyed the leather too easily," he raised his eyes to look at his wife, who was hiding her face with a pillow, "Point 2, when he suggests trying out new positions, evaluate on your flexibility," Greed sent his wife a disturbed look, "...Wasn't it _you_ suggested that Yoga thing and I pulled a muscle because of that shit?"

"I-I-It's not important!" she squeaked from behind her protective, fluffy barrier.

"Point 3, use strawberries and chocolate again soon because I love chocolate." He deadpanned, "Wow, your needs are simple aren't they?" he smirked when she threw the pillow at his face and he effortlessly caught it in his hand, "Point 4, I liked it when Greed bit me, try discreetly suggesting that again," Greed whistled, feeling a toothy smirk stretch over his handsome face.

"I see little miss innocent, isn't so innocent as she's acting huh..." Lena's eyes widened to the size of saucers when Greed threw the notepad behind his back and started taking off his shirt.

"Uh...G-Greed, w-w-wha-what are you d-doing?" her brain shut down.

"Didn't you say you that you loved it when I bit you? Why not trying experimenting on that..." he enjoyed the loud, embarrassed squeak she gave when he tackled her to the bed eagerly and laughed.

* * *

Love is lazy afternoons and warm cuddles...

"This is nice..." Alphonse said happily, content to just hug his wife in his arms and lay there lazily on the sofa, covered by thick blankets as the snow fell softly outside.

"Mhmm..." Mei hummed in agreement, half asleep, cuddled deeply into Al's protective embrace, a light happy blush on her cheeks. Al chuckled and pulled the blanket higher, cuddling closer to his cute wife.

He loved it when she was cuddly...but so was he.

"Ed..." Winry mumbled in her half asleep state.

"Hm?" Ed muttered, still halfway in dream land.

"...hold me..." several minutes, or maybe seconds, passed and Winry frowned, slowly reaching her hand out to search for the familiar body that _should_ be next to hers...

Suddenly, two strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her back against a warm, solid chest, her head nestled into the crook of Ed's neck.

"Better?" he mumbled into her hair, his nose pressing softly into the blonde locks as he smiled stupidly when he inhaled her musky scent and felt the softness of her body molding against his solid one.

Winry smiled happily, secretly giddy at being held so affectionately and safely, "Much," she instantly fell back asleep, her breathing evening out fast into a deep, content slumber.

Ed slowly peeked one eye open, looking down at his wife, before he sighed contently and wrapped arms and legs around her to hold her even closer than before.

* * *

Love is shared blankets and good movies.

"Greed...you're too fat...scoot over," Greed's right eye twitched as Lena comfortably situated herself in between his legs, stealing from his large popcorn bowl, "What are we watching?" a snort was about to pass between his teeth until Lena turned up to look at him with warm, irresistibly _cute_ eyes, munching on his popcorn.

His annoyance vanished within the blink of an eye, he rearranged himself so they were both comfortable and rested one arm on her stomach, covered with a blanket, and he snaked his other one into the bowl, grabbing some popcorn for himself.

He smirked, "Fifty Shades of Grey,"

He roared with laughter when Lena punched him playfully and laughed with him, pinching his cheeks for punishment, "Oh come on, seriously, what's that movie? I haven't watched it before,"

Greed grinned and settled back down, "Alright, alright, it's about a comedy film called " _The Switch"_. The woman's in her forties and decides to get pregnant but she doesn't want to go to a sperm bank since she wants to personally choose what I personally dub as "Sperminator"." Lena stilled and when Greed looked down to see what was wrong Lena's blank face greeted him, an eyebrow raised.

"Seriously? _"Sperminator_ "?" she shook her head, "Alright, alright, continue,"

Greed pouted, offended, and continued explaining, " _Anyway_ , her best friend is against the idea because he secretly loves her and doesn't want any other man having her to himself,"

Lena piped in, "Sounds like you," Greed jabbed her lightly in the stomach as punishment and the woman laughed briefly, Greed having knowingly hit a ticklish spot.

"So, she finally founds some wannabe hottie, who ain't hot at all, and throws some stupid party for her soon-to-be pregnancy. The wannabe hottie goes into the bathroom, do's his shit and leaves the cup with him junk in the bathroom. Her best friend was incredibly drunk so he stumbled into the bathroom, threw away the wannabe hotties seed and replaced it with his own. He only figured out years later that he did that after seeing his kid," Greed munched on his popcorn.

Lena sighed, snuggling her back into Greed's chest, "Did I ever tell you how I _love_ you describing plots to me?" she smirked.

Greed stroked her hair affectionately, "No, but you should remember to do it more often," Lena playfully pinched his nose, with his glaring at her briefly, before they both opted to watch the movie.

It was the scene where they saw the rich, nature boy, wannabe hottie Greed talked about who was elected to be the "Sperminator".

Lena deadpanned, "Aw hell you weren't lying when you said wannabe hottie. I wouldn't sleep with him if I was wasted," she shivered, shaking her head.

Greed nodded his head in agreement.

"Oh look! He's asking her out for a _date_! HA! No way in hell will she accept-" Lena was cut off by Greed.

"She accepted it," he said flatly, running a hand down his face.

Lena groaned and covered her eyes, "Aw why? Ugh! Her best friend's cute! They would be lovely together! Come on woman! Listen to your heart and hormones and grab your best friend! Drop that weirdo!" Lena shouted at the screen and Greed decided to go along.

"Yeah! The best friend though should grow some balls and finally ask her out! It's been _three_ years! _Do_ something!" Greed munched on more popcorn.

Lena sighed heavily, dramatically sprawling herself on her husband, "Am I glad we don't have these problems."

"Yeah..." Greed nodded.

Lena chuckled, "I mean everyone knows who has the pants on, right?" Lena asked, chewing softly on the few bits of popcorn.

Greed started sweating, "Uh-huh,"

" **It's me,"** both said at the same time.

"...What was that honey?" Lena's expression was sweet and innocent, but her eyes spelled death.

Greed's grin was bordering on itching for a fight, "I'm sorry sweets...I think I _heard you wrong!_ "

"Of course you did!" Lena sprung up, playfully jumping on top of her husband.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Greed shot back, tickling her sides.

"H-h-hey! S-stop that! Argh! I'm the one in control!" she whined, slumping on top of Greed and sighing playfully.

Greed rolled his eyes, "Sure you are sweetheart," he stroked her hair.

He suddenly froze when Lena's hand trailed over his hip, his eyes widening when her hand trailed lazy circles on his hip bones, "Uhhh..." his brain was starting to shut down.

When she lifted her head, her eyes were hazy and she bit her lips, "So...why not let me prove to you..." her hand moved to his behind...

"...WHO'S IN CONTROL?!" she quickly snatched the bar of chocolate Greed had hidden in his back pocket, springing up from the couch and taking the blanket with her like a oversized cape, running through the house like a certain crazy housewife...

Greed shook his head violently, quickly calming himself down before he jumped off the couch and ran after her, "Hey! No fair! You used your womanly charms to distract me! That's cheating Lena!" he could hear her laugh coming from the kitchen and Greed's grin was brighter than he ever remembered it being.

 **I'm VERY sorry!** I wasn't able to write up the Valentine's Day special because I have a exam tomorrow and I studied my ass dead to memorize all this stuff! The Valentine's Day Special Chapter will be published TOMORROW!


	100. 100 Things about You, Me & Us Part 1

**Kudos to you guys! :3** haha So, Chapter 100 up and about! ;) I'm sorry it took so long, writing my thesis (final paper) has been driving me up the walls .

 **SPECIAL THANKS TO MY READERS:** Since this is my **100** **th** **chapter** , I feel it's my duty to let you people know how **important** you are to me. :) I started out as a really insecure (Ok, I'm still insecure but a lot less than at the beginning) amateur writer who was writing stories for years but never published any of them because I thought they were stupid. I've got some great encouragement from family and friends so I decided to publish my first story here. After a few (mostly alright-ish) stories, I've decided to write this. I've been pretty insecure, since I never wrote one shots before or for this fandom, BUT after the first few reviews I've gained some confidence and continued writing. I originally intended for **THIS** story/booklet to be **10 chapters** long at BEST. But wow...10 and a 100 chapters is a bit of a difference ^^. So...without blabbering all the time, let me say **thank you ALL** for supporting me and encouraging me. I may not fulfill my dream of becoming a real writer but this is more than enough. :) **_Thank you so damn much! 3 :3_**

 **100 Things About You, Me & Us Part 1**

 ** _Sword:_** He was the sword that cut down his enemies when his child stood alone and defenseless before them, he was the weapon meant to protect his injured comrades bleeding on the ground, he was the blade clashing against blade when it meant protecting his country and the people in it. A sword was a dangerous weapon and it can cut down any who stand in its way. But a sword was nothing without a _shield_.

* * *

 ** _Shield:_** He was the ultimate shield meant to protect his comrades from the vicious assaults of their enemies, he was the shield standing in the way of the swarm of enemies heading towards his family and friends, standing stall and proud and a indestructible force to be reckoned with, _he_ was the wall that created a cocoon of safety around those that had none, he took the brunt of the attacks and never minded the scars and the pain, because those scars, he wore with pride in his soul and body. The shield may be there to protect...but if it meant kicking his enemies' ass, it was nothing without the _sword_.

* * *

 ** _Food:_** Love goes through the stomach right? Whenever they ate together, sitting there, eating the food of this foreign country, she always remembered her position and always made sure to eat away from the table where her Lord was eating, as was custom. But... _he_ would always stand up from his position at the table and sit down beside her, not saying a word. But she didn't need his words to understand him, it wasn't how their relationship worked. And when he offered her the last piece of his grilled teriyaki, she would smile and break it in half and he would laugh and kiss her because that was all he knew to do when she would profess her love for him that way.

* * *

 ** _Friend or Foe:_** They met as enemies of different clans when they were the tender age of ten, as they grew older they were told to eliminate the other without thought should they meet each-other again, for the clan, they said. It was at sixteen where they met again, this time, in the land of Amestris, finding themselves injured in a doctors house with the Elric brothers. They hadn't hesitated to lash out at each-other, bandages and kunais flying. After that, they met again at the age of twenty. ' _What's your name?' Alice asked. 'Kiba' he said. 'Wanna play with me Kiba-kun?' she smiled. 'Sure!' Kiba grinned._ Their mothers laughed and rejoiced over a warm cup of tea.

* * *

 ** _Our Sins:_** "Have you ever asked yourself what could have been?" Homunculus asked his age old friend, the One he had gotten the blood from to live. "No," the answer startled the Homunculus, so he asked, "Why not?" Hohenheim smiled as he looked at the blue, blue sky in the lands of white and black, "There are too many "what if's" in life to consider, one would die trying to fulfill them all,"

* * *

 ** _Tears:_** Edward couldn't really remember it, since back then he had been pretty young, but after he had seen the picture pinned to the board, it came back to him. The bastard of a father, who had abandoned them, was crying in the picture he took with his family. Ed never realized why, until the photographer asked, "Everyone! Please gather together and smile for the camera!" and when he was holding his small son in his arms, Edward had tried hard to suppress his own tears of joy.

* * *

 ** _Mask:_** She was hiding behind the mask he detested with every fiber of his being. He hated seeing it obscuring her beautiful face, hated how it restricted her freedom and made her the same rank as the rest of the followers and subordinates other princes had. The thing was, she _wasn't_ 'one of them'. She wasn't just a simple servant, she was far more than that, more than he allowed himself to show anyway. Sometimes he just wished to rip that mask off her and tell her how he really felt, but the high possibility of her never returning his feelings grounded him where he stood, him as the prince from Xing, her as his loyal servant. Words weren't enough to describe how he loathed that piece of wood, it was hideous compared to her beauty, like mud tarnishing a beautiful flower. And once all the battles were over and he was finally allowed to lift the veil off her face, it wasn't just the veil he lifted, it was the mask he smashed on the floor with his foot that symbolized the reign of hiding and insecurities to be over where freedom can finally become a reality.

* * *

 ** _Study:_** They were very young back then, just little rascals searching for something to do in their spare time while their mother tended to the garden and the house. The first time they discovered their father's old study which had been abandoned and never opened again, they were in awe. While it had been to a degree messy, it was filled with books of all kinds, books filled with strange symbols, weird sentences and foreign languages they could only hope to learn someday. But when Edward opened one of these books and sat down on the floor to read, with his brother following suit, he soon found out that it wasn't as difficult as he thought. So continued reading and reading and reading. And they read until there were no more books to read which they hadn't read at least twice. They never considered it before, but when they entered their father's old study as adults themselves, they were bathed in the nostalgic smell of old books, their father's cologne and their mother's perfume. Instead of dreadful memories, they smiled in happiness and decided to finally tidy the place up. After all, the study could still prove to be useful for their children too...

* * *

 ** _Weirdo:_** Ed had thought he had just been a poor, weird, foreign man who was just on the brink of starvation, he offered to pay him a generous meal. That meal quickly turned into emptying out the entire years stock of food from the restaurant they were in, the owner was shouting at him being short on money, the foreign weirdo was running away like the wind, Alphonse was freaking out beside him. When he exploded and finally ran after the idiot, he found his true motives. He was searching for a way to become immortal, in order to help his people and country. He was also there when the weird Xingese prince shared his body with the Homunculus Greed, his headaches from then on had only tripled. He was the one that gave them the nickname 'Greeling' since he couldn't make out who was who when they started switching controls. And then, when it was only Ling left and the war was over and everyone was saved, he was still the foreign, gluttonous weirdo he had met all these years ago. Along with being a hero and a damn great Emperor and friend to boost.

* * *

 ** _War:_** The trembling hands of a woman caressed the long, long list of missing and dead soldiers. It was the first snow of the evening, winter grew cold and merciless. The house felt empty and dark and lonely and her finger continued sliding down, down, down. The list was long. Too long. Her heart frayed at its seams. Her eyes moistening. Just as her finger stopped one a few names. The paper fell from her hands, those same trembling hands moved up to cup her face and muffle the scream that tore at her throat and shook the house. All our names were on the list.

* * *

 ** _Immortal:_** Was there really such a thing as immortality? Was it just a fairy tale alchemists made up to justify their work? Was it a children's bedtime story to convince them to live life to the fullest and not try pursuing something that was unreal? Was it...was it tangible? Liquid? Solid? A rock? A jewel? A shard? ...Or was it simply a figment of our imagination?

* * *

 ** _My Side:_** " _Oh I may be on the side of the angels, but don't think for_ _ **one second**_ _that I'm one of them,"_ Greed's words had been etched into his mind even after his sacrifice, but it was only in the moment where he vanished forever, that they made sense. He may have been on the good side in the end, but nobody ever said Greed was a saint. Or that he was an angel. Well, nobody was really. But to his friends, Greed was never anything less than a good guy, a good friend and a hero.

* * *

 ** _Price:_** _His gaze was steady, his heart heavy, but the words he uttered were soft, "Even if we didn't have the money..._ " Hohenheim smiled, hanging his head down and welcoming death with open arms, " _...we already paid the price..."_

* * *

 ** _False Reality:_** Sometimes he thought that the world he lived in was false, it weren't necessarily the people that were false, but the circumstances they surrounded themselves in. A false reality where his mother died, his father abandoned them, his brother lost an arm and a leg, innocent people died for their cause and war was waged. He thought that had been the false reality he tried escaping from, but when he woke up, he realized...that _had_ been reality.

* * *

 ** _Calcium:_** It is said that calcium increased the density of the bone structure in one's body but only if a fair amount of Vitamin D is consumed as well. Edward had more than enough of Vitamin D, having been outside and traveling out in the open under the sun for the majority of his young life, but he had a disturbingly low Calcium level. Some said it was a disease, others said he had been born this way...but Winry Rockbell knew the truth. " _Edward didn't drink his milk again!"_

* * *

 ** _Dragon:_** It is said that the dragon symbolizes strength and wisdom and having a home to call his own. His people had linked all these attributes to Ling but in reality he never was the dragon. The man whom he had his wisdom to thank, Fu, was unfortunately no longer among them. The strength he had, was from Greed not his own and the home he had sought after for so long, was given to him by the only woman he would ever call his wife, Lan Fan.

* * *

 ** _Home:_** Edward smiled, " _Well...for starters, home is a house, four walls and some blueprints, architects would say. Home is beautiful decorations and well-made furniture, designers would say. Home is cement, wood or glass, builders would say. Home is a warm meal and a nice welcome, families would say. But for us alchemists, a home is rather simple."_ Ed grinned and pulled Winry close, kissing the top of her head, " _You,"_

* * *

 ** _Heroes:_** Lena smiled and finally gave her answer, " _You asked me...what it's like to be a hero, well...I wouldn't really know. You can't relate to full-time heroes, because that's not what any of us are. Sure, we do a few good deeds per day, some save lives, for some it's their job, others help whoever and whenever they can in their own way. It's not realistic, it's not what everyone can relate to and feel connected to. Being a hero with no flaws just means you're a writer without any imagination. Heroes with flaws and mistakes are the best kind, because you can see how they develop throughout their journeys and adventures with other people, how other people inspired them to become better than they already are. I think that's what inspired Ed and Al to become as great as they are now. I ran away from home because I had been a coward, because I had no way of knowing how to deal with and solve my problems. After traveling aimlessly around and experiencing many things, I finally learned why I went on this journey and what it's good for. I met many people – good and bad – and I got inspired by them too, to become better than my past shell. If you'd asked Ed that or any of us, I'm sure they would tell you the same thing," she smiled._ _Ed smiled and playfully wrapped an arm around her, laughing and ruffling her hair._

* * *

 ** _Führer:_** It was the Führers duty to protect his country, to act on behalf of his people and ensure the safety of his country. The Ishvalan Extermination had been a necessity he knew, many others perceived him to be a cold, heartless man blinded by war and battle lust. What many didn't know was, he hadn't issued the order out of random bloodlust. As the Amestrian spies had found out, Drachma had been planning to recruit Ishvalans as a additional force to fight against Amestris and win the war in their favor. Bradley couldn't have that, not with everything on the line. Had that war escalated, there would be unimaginably many deaths, on both parties, and none of the countries despite their military strength could afford that. So he did the only thing a simple man such as him could, he issued the illumination of one threat. Drachma had been too powerful then to confront but Ishval had just been growing, having not as much military might as opposed to Drachma. Many Ishvalans lost their life but it had been the only thing he could do. The night after the extermination had ended and he found himself in his house in his own bed, laying beside his sleeping wife, he knew, what he did was one of the many sins he was cursed to commit. But he did it for the people, for his family... with eyes firmly shut to hold back tears of despair, he pulled his wife closer and succumbed to the nightmare he knew would haunt him for the rest of his life.

* * *

 ** _Describe:_** You can't describe something without having anything to compare it to. If you try describing a certain smell, you wouldn't know how to if you don't have anything similar to compare the smell to. The same thing can be said about love, I guess. I realized later that I fell in love with a idiot like you, but it took me so long to realize because I didn't have anything to compare it to, that feeling. You were a jerk, but you could also be sweet and kind. You may be loud and noisy, but you were humble and quiet when the time called for it. You were strong and independent, yet you had to rely on others to get your bodies back. But most of all...you relied on _me_ when I thought I was useless, you believed in _me_ when I didn't believe in myself and you _loved_ me when I didn't have anything to love myself for. I found that I can describe you with one word Edward Elric, _amazing_.

* * *

 ** _Hands:_** It were _your_ hands that gave me a new leg to stand on, a new arm to use, it was _you_ that even made it possible for me to go on that long journey searching for our bodies. I always thought your hands were amazing, the things you do with them, your work, the automail shop, everything. I trash talked every now and then to make you angry because you work even harder if you set your mind to it and I always liked seeing you so determined. Your hands were there to _create_ things, put them back together, patch them up, just like you patched _me_ up. I loved your hands, because they were soft but calloused, showing how hard you worked in order to get to where you stand now, an accomplished engineer. When you wanted to shoot Scar, I knew you wouldn't have pulled the trigger, even if I hadn't jumped in. Why? Because your hands were meant to _create_ and _grant life_ not _destroy_ and _take_ it away.

* * *

 ** _Panda:_** It had been the first thing I noticed about her, well, aside from her cute pigtails and her beautiful eyes. It was the little panda on her shoulder, I've never seen one before and when the little guy jumped on me and bit my finger, I laughed. After learning her name was Xiao Mei, I liked her even more. She seemed very protective of you, so I tried respecting her wishes and keeping my distance, but you always pulled me back and made sure you hugged me at least four times a day. But I didn't mind, not at all. But after I saved your life, I think Xiao Mei started to like me too. And we became friends. Then, after I clumsily confessed and asked for your hand in marriage, Xiao Mei started crying in happiness and I never knew little pandas could grin so brightly.

* * *

 ** _Brat:_** He only saw her as a smart but annoying little brat that was always worried and head over heels over the tin can. His opinion of her changed when, while clumsily and angrily trying to tend to his slow healing injuries after the battle, she had shyly come to him and stumbled over her words on helping him and not accepting a 'no' for an answer. He had let her, reluctantly, all the while arguing with Ling how Greed was supposed to be 'nicer' to her and not call her 'brat'. Greed ignored the prince and while watching how she healed him with her admittedly impressive Alkahestry alchemy, Greed found a special soft spot for the Xingese girl. He always blamed it on Ling, but after he nearly beat up a guy to a pulp who tried molesting her on the street and her overwhelming him with her surprising strength, he found himself smiling at her death hugs and not minding them as much as he used to. But he still called her brat.

* * *

 ** _Enemy:_** She didn't know what to think of him at first, she was furious at herself for disappointing her Lord and forcing him into a situation that could have been potentially life threatening for him, accepting the Homunculus into his body. She had been devastated, blamed herself for the catastrophe and opted to simply ignore the powerful, evil chi residing within her master, next to his own, nearly untainted powerful chi. But at the battle with Gluttony when her automail had started to malfunction, it hadn't been her Lord that had saved her. She had known her Lord's intentions were well meaning and she recognized his body, but she never saw him move so fast to take that attack for her, blocking it with a nearly indestructible shield the Homunculus within him covered himself with. And when he turned his head to look at her, it weren't the gentle, kind eyes of her Lord that greeted her but the angry violet ones of the Homunculus Greed. She had thought the anger to be directed at her, but she was mistaken when he released a battle cry and moved into action by overwhelming Gluttony with a vicious series of punches and kicks. Since then, she was starting to think " _enemy_ may be the wrong term to label him as...

* * *

 ** _Thief:_** You weren't the nice, sweet man I thought you were. No, you were a thief, a stupid, handsome, cute thief that stole my heart before I even knew about it! You stole it without my permission! With affections and gifts, with your cute laughs and bright smiles, with your innocent aura and your mature thinking, with your vast intelligence and thirst for knowledge and...with your beautiful gold eyes...You were the thief that stole my heart and I was just the victim who fell in love with every step of the way.

* * *

 ** _Falling:_** _I thought I was falling every time you crossed my mind._ Why don't you join me on an adventure Win? It'll be fun, come on! _I felt dizzy whenever you showed me that bright grin of yours that spelled trouble whenever you wrecked my automail._ Uhm...I'm sorry Winry, it happened while I tried protecting a village from some insane alchemist that tried searching for a supposed 'jewel'. _You stole my breath whenever your gaze would soften and you would look at me in that stupid way that made me feel funny._ His smile was soft, his eyes warm and far too open, " _Win..._ " _You made my knees feel weak whenever you would kiss my forehead before you left with the promise of coming back._ Wait up for me with some freshly baked apple pie alright? I promise I'll get you something for your shop! _I never realized, but whenever I thought I was falling...you were always holding my hand. And suddenly, I felt safe._ Oh Ed...

* * *

 ** _Glass:_** Glass was fragile, but it was smooth and shone in the sunlight. You can see your reflection in it too. But glass can also break, shatter into a thousands of pieces that turn into lethally sharp shards that hurt you when you attempt to pick up the pieces. People were like that too. Humans were fragile, but they were also strong, determined to draw strength from the feelings of their loved ones. Humans shone proudly when they release a triumphant yell from a successful victory. When you smile at them, they smile back at you. But words can break them, actions can break them, other humans can shatter them. But unlike glass, sometimes, it's impossible to pick up the broken pieces and instead of cutting yourself, you try in vain to pick them up, because their weight is equivalent to the burden each and every broken shard had. The shard, a piece of the once proud human, was broken. And so Truth deduced, humans were beautiful, beautiful creatures that had potential to achieve great things, and yet, they were doomed to destroy themselves or each-other with every new generation that greeted the broad of daylight.

* * *

 ** _Fists:_** When they were training, they didn't need words. They sparred, each time being heavier and longer than the last, each time they had to offer new moves and new strength that burned a fire in their hearts and forced them to keep moving forward. They may suffer, bruises, they may suffer defeats, but at the end of each sparring session, that fist bump they always did together signalized the beginning of a new training session. Of a new opportunity to test their skills and surpass their former selves in order to grow stronger. A new beginning. And a new way to fulfilling their dreams.

* * *

 ** _Euthanasia:_** Roy smiled, blood trickling slowly from his mouth and when he opened his mouth to say something, he coughed out another mouthful of blood rising up his throat. His eyes turned hazy, his vision unfocused. He was losing time. With a firm grip, a strength he didn't know he still possessed in his weak, battle worn body, he gripped Riza's hand tightly. The look in his eyes said it all, they never needed any words to understand each-other. But Riza's eyes told of insecurity, indecisiveness and fear. He understood, he always did. She knew she had to, but she didn't want to do it. She knew it would end his suffering but she had a fierce hope that, if Mei arrived any time now, they could still save him. But the look in his eyes said it all. He knew he would die. And Riza did too. But she still clung to the last shreds of hope that there was a way he could be saved. And yet, as she, with a trembling hand, picked up her gun and slowly moved it up his body, her resolve was breaking and he saw it in her eyes. With a shaking hand himself, he placed it upon her own, on the gun, and released the safe, aiming it at his head, in between his eyes. Tears streamed down her brown eyes, speaking of love, of devotion, of fear. But he smiled, amidst the blood, he smiled, for her, for himself, for them both. With a firm glare that spoke volumes of his feelings, he silently ordered her not to take her own life once his was finished. That was when he pulled the trigger. The gun fell to the ground, his hand fell limply at his bleeding chest as her tears streamed down his hand and mixed with the blood. She used a gun in order to not feel how she had to kill her victims, but this time, she felt it pierce her heart. The price she paid was insignificant to her as she raised the gun to her head and pulled on the trigger. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Roy had emptied out all the available spaces. The bullet she had shot him with had been the last one.

* * *

 ** _Team:_** _"_ _Why don't you team up with us?"_ Greed froze, foot stopping just short of landing on the earth outside of the small, abandoned hut. Pictures flashed in his head, _memories_ and he could vaguely register his soul crying out at them. His face was an expression of loneliness, realization and sadness. But when he turned around to look at the Fullmetal kid, he laughed.

* * *

 ** _Shrek:_** " _Hey Greed," Ling's smiling face was a little too suspicious for his liking. "What?" he rose an eyebrow. The grin stretched over the entirety of Ling's face as he started running away, "SHREK CALLED! HE WANTS HIS FACE AND ASS BACK!" Greed was bolting after the runaway prince within the blink of an eye, ultimate shield claw at the ready, "YOU FORGOT THAT WE SHARE THE SAME ASS STUPID PRINCE! SHREK IS PRETTIER THAN YOU!"_ Well...Ed supposed that was how they complimented each-other when none of them wanted to show their softer sides...

* * *

 ** _Studying:_** Alphonse had been reluctant at the beginning but with a little persuasion from Winry, a little _too_ enthusiastic persuasion from his brother and his own thirst to learn something new, he had decided to study Alkahestry together with Mei, a princess from Xing. It wasn't that he disliked her, he just thought she was...well... "But it's easy! Look! We channel our chi in order to use Alkahestry-" Alphonse threw his hands up in the air, frustrated beyond belief, "What _is_ that stupid chi?! I can't feel it! I can't feel that 'Dragon pulse' at all! How can you channel energy from the ground if you can't feel its presence? Alchemy is based on transmuting matter into a different form, _that_ is logic, _that_ is equivalent exchange. But I can't see the teachings of equivalent exchange applying to Alkahestry. What do you pay for in order to use the chi? There has to be some kind of-" Mei shouted right at his face, Xiao Mei's fangs bared in a threateningly cute manner, " _Of course we can feel its flow!_ Just because _certain_ morons can't doesn't mean we share the same liabilities!" Alphonse leaned forward, " _Moron?!_ Why am _I_ a moron if Alkahestry is just so complicated?!" both threw their arms up in the air and huffed loudly in annoyance, avoiding each-other's gazes. What felt like an eternity passed between them until there was a sudden bright blue light and Mei looked in order to see what happened. Al had transmuted a small origami flower made from one of the papers scattered around. Hesitantly, with a small blush on his cheeks, Alphonse shyly held it out for Mei to take. The princess blinked rapidly, before she slowly took the beautiful piece of art in her small hands, she looked back and forth between the flower and Al, whose blush was growing worse. "...Huh?" Mei tilted her head to the side, confused, cheeks aflame. "W-well, put it on your head...it's supposed to go there anyway," Alphonse pretended not to be affected by her cute eyes, even the panda seemed confused. "And you're calling me a moron..." before Mei could protest, Alphonse had leaned over and his big, warm hands touched her own ones for the briefest of seconds to take the flower from her grasp and gently place it in her hair on the side of her head. When he pulled away and Mei pointedly looked away to pathetically hide her red face, Alphonse smiled brightly, "There, now you look even better than a princess," the innocent grin on his face made her heart melt and she felt like she was flying. Perhaps...these study lessons weren't so bad after all...

* * *

 ** _Cooking:_** Greed suspiciously poked the thing with his knife, "...What is this?" he looked in confusion over to Lan Fan, who looked less than pleased that Greed wasn't able to identify her latest dish. "I-It's onigiri!" her blush bright on her cheeks, Lan Fan anxiously bit her lip as Greed hesitantly took a bite from the oval shaped rice ball rolled in seaweed. He chewed on it for a while, then spat it out straight at Ling's face ( **A/N: separate bodies here)** who looked livid at having Greed's spit and food on his face. "What the hell?! There's fish inside! And it's not even _cooked_!" Ling growled, " _Of course_ not you _idiot_! It's sushi! Lan Fan, you made a wonderful meal yet again! Thank you!" Ling tilted his head, rice slowly sliding down his face as his grin brightened at his girlfriend, who blushed heavily under the attention. Greed poked Ling with a chopstick he stole from him, "Hey! Eyes on me prince! Stop making goo-goo eyes at Lan Fan!" Ling stuck his tongue out, "Make me!" Greed lunged at the unsuspecting prince, both men falling to the floor and shoving food at each-other. Lan Fan sighed heavily, perhaps spaghetti would do better next time...

* * *

 ** _Mistake:_** "You think it was a mistake leaving Winry to go with Scar?" Darius asked with a bit of worry creeping into his voice, face skeptical. Ed waved him off, "Hey, hey, he's on our side remember? Besides, he proved that we can trust him so I'm confident he won't hurt her," Ed smiled, hands in his pockets. Darius shrugged, "If you say so kid..." Ed looked up at the sky, Winry's smiling face in his mind's eye and her earrings gently jiggling in his pocket, " Sometimes...you gotta give people a second chance, even if they did some pretty bad stuff in the past, there's always a time where even they realize how wrong they used to be..."

* * *

 ** _Choice:_** As far as he could remember, he never had much of a say in anything. Not his life, not his career or friends. He had been trained from the start to become one of the best, to attain the highest position possible and overpower anyone in his way to reach the top. Training had been vigorous and long, but it paid off in the end. He always did what he was told to do, he stayed loyal and calm and he always did a little more research to stay on the safe side whether in battle or in politics. He never had much of a choice in anything, his life had been predetermined from the start and his end had been set as time passed, when his purpose for living for the day of reckoning would be fulfilled. But there was one thing, _one thing_ , where it was _him_ that chose freely. It wasn't Father that gave him an order, it wasn't Pride that was there lurking in the shadows and commanding his every move, it wasn't Lust either who occasionally reminded him to be smart and not pull the same things as Greed and rebel against them. No, it wasn't any of them. His decision had been made when he had accidentally allowed his anger to show on the surface, back then when he had been a naive, short tempered young man whose pride had been stumped on when a young woman strode up to him and suddenly slapped him across the face. It had been the same spitfire he had met at the marketplace, having gotten first to buying a apple pie she had intended to buy. Instead of rage, like he usually felt when someone behaved with such disrespect towards him, he observed her curiously, cheek red and stinging. She rested her hands on her shapely hips, finger pointed at his face, "Listen and listen well! I'll not stand for that _you_ stole my apple pie from right under my nose! If you think I'll let that slide without a little punishment then you've got another thing coming!" her stance was resolute, her face ferocious, but her eyes were beautiful. He simply asked, "How does dinner sound as compensation?" she had been stunned and thought he was joking at first, but when he repeated his question again, the only thing she did was blush bashfully. "Alright...but you're paying," Wrath had no objections to that, "After you," the woman, as he soon learned, was the only thing he actually _chose_ in his life. And that choice...had been prompted by a slap. And a beautiful smile he quickly got smitten by after.

* * *

 ** _See:_** _"_ _Sometimes...when your eyes see something your heart can't explain..."_ Ed stood frozen, rain pouring down on him heavily, body shaking, eyes wide, heart racing, " _your whole world suddenly...feels like a illusion...like you're living in a fantasy and nothing that's happening is real..."_ he was falling, sinking, _drowning_. He closed his eyes, " _Sometimes, you wish you didn't have to see these pictures in your head, but you did anyway. Why you may ask?"_ gloveless hands ran through dark spiky locks, dark eyes underlined with sleeplessness showed nothing but despair, " _Because I'm a murderer,"_

* * *

 ** _Beside you:_** _If your heart wears thin, I'll hold you up..._ He hugged her, hugged her so tightly he was half afraid he was suffocating her. His body shook, lips trembling, thoughts askew as the possibility of losing Lan Fan kept replaying over and over in his head like a horror movie, he choked, tears pooling in his eyes. A warm hand settled on his cheek, wiping away a tear that was about to slide down his cheek and when he looked down at her, _alive_ , his heart soared, his mind calmed down and he hugged her again, tighter and tighter. His kisses were gentle, loving, telling her he was glad she was _safe_ that she was _alive_ , that he _loved_ her, he didn't need words, he knew. And when she smiled at him and nodded, relief and warmth wrapped around his heart like a safe cocoon and his fears were washed away by the radiance of her smile. _And I'll be right beside you..._

* * *

 ** _Give me a sign:_** Bloodied hands balled into fists, sharp teeth ground against each-other harshly, the ringing in his ears increased, his breathing grew erratic and his pupils dilated. _Lan Fan lost her arm helping me search for this! I couldn't face her again if I came home empty handed!_ His head was spinning. _Let go and take care of the old man!_ Greed grunted at the pain, eyes wide in disbelief. Lan Fan looked away. _No...No!_ Sacrifices are necessary in order to grow and understand reality better but...did it have to be this way? _Lan Fan? What are you doing?! No! STOP!_ Ling screamed. _MY LORD!_ Greed slammed his fist against the ground. _Any last words you would like to say?_ Greed closed his eyes and smiled, " _It may not be the world exactly...but I suppose friends do it too..."_ Ling's eyes opened, tears in them, " _I've finally gained immortality and I can't even save one of my subjects!"_ Greed looked sadly down at Fu's corpse and for the first time, he felt like not even his Philosopher's Stone could heal the broken heart he was suffering from. When Ling woke up, he knew this wasn't reality, " _It's not real...I'm...I'm in a strange place..."_ It all ended, with the last remains of the last Homunculus perishing from the face of the earth. _Forever and ever, the scars will remain.._

* * *

 ** _Protect:_** _"_ _I'll be happy if I can protect everyone with my own hands,"_ the sentence from the young in uniform made a smile appear on her face, " _I think it's a wonderful dream,"_ his whipped around to look at her, surprised at her answer. He thought she would judge him, just like Berthold had when he told him he was signing up for the military, but she didn't. She...she actually accepted it and even supported his idea. But... " _Is it alright to believe in a future where everyone can live in happiness?"_ he didn't know the answer to that, but he was willing to find out. No matter what it took. " _Why did you join the military?"_ Riza smiled, " _Because...there is someone I have to protect,"_ her answer never changed and neither did his dream. His gaze was warm, just as his fingers were, " _Will you follow me?"_ his fingers traced a gentle path to her cheek in a intimate gesture, a smile on his face only reserved for her. Her answer was supported by a loving kiss to his palm, " _If that is your wish, even into hell,"_ He smiled and kissed her. Because she was the one he wanted to protect.

* * *

 ** _Sweetheart:_** He smiled, his hands in his pockets, "You knew it all along didn't you?" he turned his head to see her smile and he didn't need an answer. He smirked, "Tch...why didn't you just tell me?" he didn't hear anything, nor did he expect to. He sighed, "With you being so quiet, it almost seems like you aren't there. I get it if you're mad, I can be a bit of an asshole at times, but still..." when he turned his head back around to grin at her playfully, he was surprised to see she wasn't there anymore. He was dressed in dark clothing and he saw Ed approaching him, grim looking and equally dressed in black. He looked around, "Huh? Hey kid, Lena was just there, you know where she went? I was just talking to her now," the grim expression on Ed's face darkened. "...Greed...do you know where we are right now?" he nodded toward the back and Greed's eyes widened in realization. His mouth closed, "Yeah..." he swallowed, "That's right...I...she..." Ed clapped him on the shoulder before walking past him, toward the crowd dressed in black, toward the funeral ceremony. Greed looked up at the sky, "Hm...the sky seems just a little bit darker today..." he shoved his hands in his pockets, ignoring the tear that slid down his face and went to attend the funeral of his wife.

* * *

 ** _My Precious:_** The weight was warm and welcome in his arms, the little bundle squirming, moving this way and that, little hands and fingers reaching out for anything to hold onto. It found his little finger and his whole small, tiny little hand enclosed around it tightly, tugging on it as if to pull him closer. His heart gave a tug. He couldn't believe how they were able to create something so beautiful together, with his evil nature and all... as if sensing the direction of his thoughts, Lena squeezed his forearm reassuringly, "You'll be the most doting father in the world Greed...I just know it," she giggled, looking exhausted but beautiful all the same. Greed smiled at her and let her lean her head on him, both looking at their newborn child. He whispered quietly, as if afraid of breaking this wonderful moment they were in, "What should we name her?" they were indecisive of a name as of yet... Lena smiled, "Hmm...I can see her being a bit of a spitfire...a bit like her father...a bit like me...no...she will be just as lovely as me.." Greed smirked, nudging her playfully, she giggled, "...What about Emilia?" she looked questioningly at him. Greed grinned toothily, "Great," he kissed her sweaty forehead. She hummed contently, "I just hope she won't be as grouchy as you..." Greed sighed, "And I hope she won't be so mean like you..." Lena giggled and they touched foreheads together. Greed opened his eyes to look at her closed ones and smiled at his daughter, " _My precious..."_ he thought with a smile.

* * *

 ** _Creation:_** Whenever Ed would have his moments, he would call it _amazing_ how Winry and him managed to create such a wonderful creature as his son, holding him high in the air for everyone to see and be envious of because he was _his_ son. He would always call it a "alchemical phenomenon" but Winry would always correct him and say it was something called, " _Love,"_ Just this once, Ed had to agree with her.

* * *

 ** _Playing God:_** "It's nice isn't it Truth? Being the One? God? Truth? Ah, you have so many names I forgot..." Satan grinned roguishly, gold eyes flashing ominously. Truth's grin vanished, "What do you want?" Satan smiled, "The truth," his eyes met his. Truth remained silent, that did not deter Satan, "Tell me, _brother_ , what is the feeling of being worshipped and loved by humanity?" Satan's grin turned cold, "I wouldn't know, because apparently I don't exist, do I?" he circled the white figure, "People believe in you, but they can't see, hear or feel you. People don't believe in me, but I'm everywhere. I'm people's darkest desires, I know all their sins, I know their hearts true desire, I _understand_ them, unlike you, sitting here on his high throne and controlling them like mere _puppets_. So tell me, _God_ , what do _you_ do for the people? Because I can't _see_ it," Truth smiled, "You say people shouldn't believe in me because they can't see, hear or feel me right? Doesn't that apply to you as well dear Satan? You listed a number of things that aren't you but that may be linked to you. Just as purity, holiness, virtues, beliefs, kindness and hope are likened to me. There is no reason for humans to believe in ancient entities such as us, since they have no solid proof of our existence. But everyone believes in something right? It doesn't have to be a deity, in fact, it can be..." an image of gold eyes, golden hair and a determined grin appeared in his mind's eye, "...a simple human," Truth grinned.

* * *

 ** _Couch:_** The couch had many functions, many uses. He can be sat on, laid on, eaten on and he didn't give a damn. But when Edward Elric was forced to sleep on it due to being a _jackass_ according to his wife, it decided to lose a spring feather...which slammed _right into his back!_ God damn it he was growing _old_! "Stupid couch!" Ed growled, kicking the damned thing. Another spring feather struck his leg and he cursed.

* * *

 ** _Song:_** Because songs can cheer someone up when down, because songs can wipe the tears away when there wasn't a physical one present, because songs...inspired her to start dancing with her daughter and son around the living room to the music, laughter echoing in their cozy home. Alphonse smiled, laughing when Mei pulled him into the dancing circle and they all danced together to the sound of the music.

* * *

 **NOTE:** This is only... 44-45 "words" pieces, since it would have been too long a chapter to post all 100! The rest will be following! Please review and suggestions are always welcome! :3 I hope you liked it everyone! :)


	101. 100 Things about You, Me & Us Part 2

**Hi everyone! :)** Ugh, I'm sorry my update time is pretty slow, I'm so packed with school stuff it's seriously unbelievable . Anyways, since writing is also a way for me to vent off (among doing a bit of sports) I can't ignore that stupid urge to write so here it is! :3 I hope everyone will enjoy this chapter too! I'm **_very_** happy about the positive reviews for the previous chapter! Thank you! ^_^

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Cassey:** T_T Nononononooo! Hell if there is someone to thank then its YOU and everyone else! (sniffs) I wouldn't have put the same amount of work (most probably) into this story if it weren't for wonderful readers like you who let me know what I'm doing wrong and encouraging me to do it right! .

 **Panic:** (starts hyperventilating) Aw damn...I'm far too excited for reviews! . T_T (here comes the flood...) THANKS SO MUCH PANIC! (sobs) Alright...let me get this straight, I always wanted to write and maybe even publish a book (Ha...good one) ahem, this had been the first step to that far fetched dream and I'm really glad people actually enjoy reading my stuff ^^ No amount of well written words can express my gratitude :) Really, thank you for always reviewing my chapters and helping me work through some problems here and there T_T (sniff)

 **Pouda-P:** T_T (bawls like a baby) damn...I need tissues...(sniffs) ...Really? It does? It means a lot to you? (wipes tear away) Thank you Pouda-P, this and all the other reviews mean a lot to me too :) I never would have guessed to write so much, much less get such awesome readers and reviews! All I can say is thank you so much for your support until now and for not having stopped reading even if it did get boring in some parts :) (gives you and all the other readers flowers) Hell...I promised not to cry! .

 **Please enjoy everyone! ;)**

 **100 Things About You, Me & Us Part 2**

 ** _Bite_** **:** "You think you can protect her?" Greed was mocking him, standing tall, appearance identical to his own one as he mocked him, berated him, looked down upon him. "You bastard..." Ling cursed, teeth grit. Greed scoffed, eyes harshly glinting in the moonlight, "What? Stop sulking around and start standing! I learned to eat dirt a while ago and I got stronger because of that too! Lan Fan lost her arm but that doesn't mean that you can look away from her like a kicked dog who lost its teeth! She's a strong woman, she can take care of herself, but the time when she can't, who can she rely on?" Ling froze. Greed wasn't fazed, "Huh? Who can she rely on piss ant? I can protect her better than you, you can't call yourself a warrior if you fail to recognize your weaknesses and overcome them. Lan Fan knows that, that's why she's never weak unlike you piss ant."

Ling lunged at Greed but he blocked the sloppy attack and head butted him, "Huh?! Answer me you stupid piss ant!" when he moved to punch Ling in the face again, the kneeling Xingese Emperor stopped his fist with his hand. Greed remained motionless, waiting for Ling's next move. "Fine...if you wanted to rile me up then mission accomplished," Ling suddenly shot forward and head butted Greed harshly, returning the favor before, "You said you never lie! But you just lied in protecting her better than me you stupid Homunculus!" Ling balled his fists, eyes shining with that fighting spirit Greed didn't see in the past several days of Ling's sulking. "So, what's it gonna be piss ant? You wanna fight?" Greed stood up, wiping his mouth. Ling made a hand motion, "Bring it," Greed grinned wickedly and moved in to attack. Lan Fan smiled, hiding behind the palace building as her Lord's words ignited the hope she thought she lost when she didn't see the fire in his eyes and didn't hear the bite in his words anymore.

* * *

 ** _Free:_** _"_ _Regardless of who I serve or where and how I live, if I do so by my own will, I'm free, right?"_ those words struck a chord within Greed, told by old man Fu. He was a wise ninja alright, wiser beyond his years. " _Hm...free huh?"_ Greed looked down at his hands in thought. **(A/N: Sentence in** ** _cursive_** **is said by Yukimura Sanada from the anime** ** _Brave 10_** **, episode 8).**

* * *

 ** _Kami_** **:** She didn't know if the one called 'God' actually existed, at least Ed didn't like to think so, but in their world filled with alchemy, there actually was a deity, if you could call it that. It went by many names, one she learned was 'Truth'. Ed told her how it took on the form of whoever entered its realm and punished them for the sins they've committed by breaking the laws of equivalent exchange. She wasn't sure what to make of it, since it took Edward and Alphonse's bodies, but looking back on it now, she sort of understood it's reasons. Ed and Al had breached a law considered sacred and forbidden among alchemists, while it was for understandable reasons, it was still wrong and so they were punished for committing something they shouldn't have done. Winry learned that Truth wasn't evil, it wasn't exactly unfair either, it was just...Truth. It was there to teach naïve humans like them lessons that they needed in order to coexist with each-other and prevent war from threatening humanity's existence. Still, Winry never thought she would one day pray to Truth right before she grabbed Edward's hand tightly and the doctor before her spread legs told her to push. And then finally, after hours of exhaustion and what felt like physical torture, she heard the beautiful cry of a being she would forever hold in her heart and would give her life to protect, a being which, for her, was even above one called 'God'; her child.

* * *

 ** _Soft_** **:** Her bare feet were soft thuds against the polished wooden floor and his keen ears picked up on their movement before she even neared the kitchen area. " _Ohayo,"_ she greeted with a warm, melodious voice that was pleasant to his ears and made him feel content. Her voice was soft but slightly sleepy, suggesting she just got out of bed. He smiled when she swung her long legs over his and gently settled herself on top of him, curling against him like a big cat seeking warmth. He chuckled and gently stroked her hair, " _Ohayo,_ " his voice was a warm, deep rumble against the soft skin of her forehead, a warm loving kiss planted on the spot in greeting. She smiled, her mood brightening indefinitely at the sweet gesture as she kissed the hollow of his throat in turn.

They stayed in silence like that, basking in the other's presence and the quietness of their home. "Sleep well?" his question was answered by a soft sound akin to a yawn and the feeling of her rubbing the side of her face against his chest, "I missed my furnace," she gently stroked his chest and he smirked softly, "You've kicked me off the bed first you know..." her reply was sleepy, "That's not the point, I missed you stupid alchemy freak," he thought her pout too adorable to combat the age old insult, it had become more of a endearment rather than an insult whenever they called each-other "alchemy freak" or "gear head". He couldn't resist pinching her cheeks softly, his grin widened in response when she puffed her cheeks with air in annoyance at the action. He grinned in delight, knowing exactly how much she enjoyed the sweet gesture and the attention. She giggled and turned her head, taking his hand and kissing the calloused inside of it lovingly. He smiled and leaned his forehead against hers, nuzzling gently, "I don't want to go outside," he admitted softly, a small smile lining his handsome features. Blue eyes softened in understanding, "Me neither," there was a minute of silence before her husband smirked, "Pancakes and morning coffee?" Winry grinned in delight, "Pancakes and morning coffee!" Ed and her snickered softly before jumping off the couch and running toward the refrigerator.

* * *

 ** _History:_** _"_ _History remembers kings, not soldiers,"_ the words of General Grumman echoed in his mind as he moved his rook to the next field, dark eyes momentarily losing their sharp focus on the chess board to reflect on the words spoken long ago. Mustang narrowed his eyes, thinking, " _Was this what you were talking about? Sooner or later, once I die, nobody will remember me but a murderer that fought in the Ishvalan War, used as a tool for destruction but..."_ Mustang's gaze fell on the black king, " _Not even kings can be honored in memory if they sent their people to peril..."_ "Check mate, sir," he was ripped out of his thoughts at the familiar voice of his Lieutenant and the fallen figure on the chess board, it was his figure. The white king. Mustang smiled and looked at her, " _Well...that's not entirely true...the world may not remember me once I die but...she..."_ he closed his eyes and smiled. "Is something wrong?" her voice was laced with mild concern for his stillness. Mustang shook his head lightly, "Everything is fine, Riza," she smiled softly. " _...she will...I'm sure of it...I don't need the world to remember me who I was, as long as I have her, I have all I need,"_ His gaze met hers, "Yes...check mate indeed..."

* * *

 ** _Broken Promise:_** "Looks like this is the end for me Roy...I'm sorry...I couldn't keep...our promise," Hughes green eyes slowly started to dull, the characteristic light and kind glint in them disappearing, the body littered with numerous wounds, torn flesh, uniform soaked in blood and the picture of his family peeking out from his breast pocket. Roy's eyes widened in terror, "No...n-no...H-Hughes!" with a trembling and sweaty hand, Roy touched the soft spot of skin beneath his best friend's jaw, where there should be a strong pulse, there was... "...nothing..." Roy whispered brokenly, eyes darkening and glistening with tears as his fists coiled so tightly blood started seeping into the white material of his gloves. "H-Hughes..." with a broken cry, Roy lifted his head toward the dark sky and released a torn scream, shouting his pain, his misery, his loss. This wasn't just another soldier that died on the battlefield, that was his best friend and brother that fell victim to the state's corrupt mind and Roy was unable to do anything but kneel over his best friend's corpse and weep.

* * *

 ** _Everything:_** _"_ _Why?"_ Mustang's voice was cold and threatening, blue electric currents dancing around the white gloved hands of destruction. Envy bit his lips, body trembling with an emotion Envy hadn't had the pleasure of feeling often with the sole exception of facing Father's wrath; _fear_. He fought the fear down, his head down, lips parted and teeth bared like a dog refusing to submit to a superior breed. Envy had never given him an answer, but in his last miserable moments, he didn't need to. Mustang knew, had known all along since the incident happened. _Envy had nothing, so he killed a man who had_ _ **everything**_. Jealousy was an ugly thing, indeed...

* * *

 ** _Scorn and Love:_** He looked at her and a small, sardonic smile grew on his handsome face. He surveyed the scene with disdain flashing in his eyes and teeth bared in a mocking, short laugh. Her look was one of defiance, unbreakable determination and an iron will that threatened to strike him down where he stood. His smile remained, combating her own furious one, "I wonder...why you're so angry with me?" he made a move to caress her face but she defiantly lifted her chin, eyes burning and daring him to touch her. He recoiled and she opened her mouth to speak, "I'm sick and tired of it all Kimblee! You've been like this ever since our last battle with that Elric boy! What in the world is the matter with you?!" her chest rose and fell with her harsh breathing and Kimblee felt his calm, passive anger rise. "Perhaps it appears so..." she didn't relent, hazel eyes burning brightly with anger and concern, "I-I almost lost you that day Solf! Can't you understand how I feel?! How would you feel knowing I escaped death by a hair's breath? Imagine if I hadn't found you when I had after you've been expelled from Pride's body you would-" Kimblee interrupted her with a even gaze, "But I didn't," silence filled the room and she stopped.

His tall form towered over her slightly, trying to intimidate her, his blood was singing and his ears longed to hear the delightful _bangs_ of his explosions, but his heart was crying in pain. Conflicted feelings battled within him as he tried accessing the situation and the woman standing before him, her emotions in disarray as well. Her eyes softened for a fraction, "You still need to recover, if anyone finds out you're alive we will need to escape," her gaze moved to the windows. Kimblee's gaze remained trained on her, " _I_ will have to flee, I'll make sure the authorities don't know your allegiance to me," his cool eyes betrayed the slightest bits of sorrow. Her burning passion resurfaced at his words, "How can you say that?! After all we've been through you are willing to throw it all away for the sake of trying to keep me safe?! I'll only be safe if I'm with you Solf and I think the feeling is mutual, wouldn't you agree?" he turned his head to the side in silence. She boldly approached him, her long dress a stark contrast to his white suit as soft fingers traced the soft skin and bone of his face, "You may act hostile and cold, but you aren't like that Solf. You may love to hear the sound of explosions, but that doesn't mean you're a bad person. You may have participated in the Ishvalan War, but it's not too late to atone for it." A small smile grew on her pretty face, Kimblee's façade cracked and he gently took her hand and held it in his own for a while, caressing the bruised skin of her knuckles gently before letting go when she hissed softly. "I have brought you nothing but pain..." he turned his broad back to her, reaching for his coat, "The kind of man you deserve is not me and never will be me. It would be more than a tragedy if my darkness came to taint your light." She was stunned, standing there in her burgundy dress. "Solf..." she moved toward his back and pressed her hand gently between his shoulder blades, sighing softly, "You're a stubborn man for someone of your intellect...but you're also a stupid man," he froze, eyes widening. She smiled, "Your knowledge of the world and everything within it can be as vast as possible, but if you lack any knowledge of people with all their flaws and ticks, than you might as well be a simple fool," he turned back around, regarded her with curiosity. "What do you mean?" his question was laced with heavy confusion but she smiled and leaned her face against his chest. "I mean... you can be the smartest man in the world, but if you don't understand my heart, then you're an idiot to me." She grinned up at him, "See? That's what I meant, I love your intellect but you still have to learn some things concerning the heart," her smile turned warm and the whole room brightened with that action. Kimblee's eyes widened, ice blue eyes losing their normal edge, "The heart?" she nodded, resting a hand radiating warmth and comfort on his chest, over his beating heart.

* * *

 ** _Housewife:_** Ed trembled in unadulterated fear when _she_ stepped into his house, armed with a overly sized sleeping bag, her usual attire and of course, food stuffed into her mouth. Winry warmly welcomed the middle aged woman, both of them hugging each-other in greeting and chatting idly about this and that. Edward wasn't really paying attention, he gripped his young son's shoulder tighter, the youth of course, immediately noticed his father's unease. He rose an eyebrow, "Dad? What's wrong?" he blinked, the blue eyes of his mother blinking up in confusion. Ed continued to shake, a wobbly smile on his face, "A-a-ah...w-where's your sister huh?" Hohen blinked again, "She's upstairs, why?" Ed felt a rush of relief, "G-g-go upstairs, lock the door and don't come down until I tell-yaaahhaa!" Ed yelped in pain and fear when his old teacher suddenly wrapped an arm around his neck, looking far too painful to be considered as 'friendly'. "Edward! My you have grown again! It sure is nice to be tall isn't it?" Izumi grinned widely before looking down at Hohen, who had grown a bit since the last time she visited the Elrics. "Hohen, you've grown too, far faster than your old man has your age anyway," Izumi snickered with a wicked grin, Ed's eye twitched in annoyance, biting his tongue. Hohen tilted his head, "Auntie Izumi...why is papa so scared of you?" Izumi blinked in surprise before she burst out laughing, Ed frantically flailing with his arms to silence his son and his laughing wife, "S-S-s-shhh! I-I thought that was between us Hohen!" Ed shrieked a very unmanly shriek when Izumi calmed down from her laughing fit and turned to look Ed dead in the eye, evil grin in place as she roughly patted his head, "Because my boy, I'm a housewife!" she grinned and winked, sparkles dancing around flashing teeth and a thumbs up which Hohen started fawning over, much to his father's dismay. "Daddy! I wanna be a housewife too!" Hohen grinned up at his father, who blanched in shock and suddenly screamed.

* * *

 ** _Experiment:_** Bradley snorted, blinking back the blood that trickled in a uneven line down his face, he ignored the burning sting of his wounds, the warm feeling of his blood seeping from his wounds and instead focused on the sky. The clouds were gray, but there was a sliver of light where the sun broke through, similar to his life in some way, he supposed. He had been an experiment from the beginning, trained his whole life in order to become Führer and fulfill his Father's wish into becoming God. There wasn't supposed to be anything aside from achieving that goal, but fortunately for him, there was. His wife. And while he would rather get stabbed by his own sword than admit it out loud, to a degree, his son, Selim, ignoring the fact that it was actually Pride. He wasn't supposed to fall in love with a woman that slapped him on their first meeting, he wasn't supposed to tightly wound her in his heart that he never wanted to let go, it was never supposed to happen that he had felt sadness at being unable to gift her a child due to his Homunculi blood, Pride shouldn't have stepped in as Selim, they shouldn't have been a content family, yet in some twisted way, they had been. For all acts and appearances, even Wrath knew, Pride had actually enjoyed playing the son, far more than he should have. He enjoyed having a loving family to call his own and Bradley did the same, it was all because of that woman after all. And as he sat there, slowly dying from his numerous wounds and looking up at the sky and that small sliver of light, he could see her face in the sun's rays, alongside Selim's own one and he smiled. He may have lived the life of a experimental test subject, but the last few years of it weren't so bad after all...

* * *

 ** _Lady:_** "My Lady," Ling bowed his head in respect, arm to his stomach as he bowed before his Lady. Lan Fan's eyes widened, her head whipping this way and that to see if there were any weird cameras filming all of this and Greed was playing a prank on them. When she found none, her eyes shifted back to Ling, who looked at her expectantly. "M-M-My Lord?" Lan Fan tilted her head, confused beyond belief. Ling blinked in confusion, "Lord? My Lady are you sure you are well?" Ling carefully touched her forehead before touching his own, deducing she didn't have any fever. When he realized his bold actions, Ling quickly bowed again, "My apologies my Lady! I shall tend to your bath," Lan Fan's head was steaming and the gears in her head were turning rapidly when Ling mentioned bath and him tending to it. Was this another fantasy of hers?! _Why_ did she have to have these _dreams_?! "B-b-b-b-b-bath," Lan Fan stuttered, hands cupping her salivating mouth when she heard Ling whistling lowly in the bathroom. "E-e-e-ehh?!" Lan Fan squeaked, covering her burning face shyly.

"My Lady?" Lan Fan slowly turned around and froze on the spot. "Your bath will be ready, _my lady_ ," Lan Fan blinked, Ling suddenly leaning against the sliding door, shirtless, grinning at her in such a way that made her knees shake and threaten to give out- "MY LORD!" Lan Fan shot up in bed, sweat covering her body in a thin sheen as Ling suddenly burst open the doors, slicing the paper thin material with his sword and doing a double roll on the ground, sword in the air, poised and ready, eyes blinking and wide awake, "Lan Fan! What happened?! I heard you screaming!" Ling's dark eyes zeroed in on the flushed woman on her futon and he found himself blushing slightly. Lan Fan quickly covered her bandaged chest with the blanket, shaking her head furiously, "I-I-I apologize m-m-m-my Lord I-I just had a bad dream," Lan Fan bowed repeatedly and Ling slowly lowered his sword, sighing in relief. "Would you like to-" Lan Fan quickly cut him off, " _No_!" Ling was taken aback at his subject's sudden sharp tone, her face turning interesting shades of red. He excused himself, sliding the now ruined sliding door closed, heading back toward his room. A small, secretive smirk grew on Ling's lips and he whispered into the quiet area of his home, "My lady..." he shook his head in amusement. Greed rolled his eyes, hiding behind a wall as he watched the cocky piss ant return to his own chambers with that lovesick expression on his face. "Perverts, both of 'em," he commented lowly, shaking his head and going back to bed.

* * *

 ** _Fools:_** " _No matter how many times it happens they never learn. The human race is made up of violent, miserable fools,"_ the words uttered by his sister Lust still echoed in his mind as he patrolled the city at night, hands buried in his pockets, an almost tranquil expression on his face. " _What are you thinking?"_ Ling asked quietly, for once, the roaring souls inside of Greed seemed to be just a little bit calmer than normally. Ling didn't take it as a good sign, "Hm...nothing, it doesn't matter anyhow," Greed muttered quietly into the night, violet eyes reflecting the moons bright beauty as it shone upon him. "...I said I wanna rule the whole world..." he raised his arm and enclosed his hand around the shape of the moon into a fist, eyes saddened, "But somehow..." the wind rustles his hair and coat, his words carried by the breeze, "...I can't see it anymore..." perhaps it was him that was foolish, violent and miserable. Perhaps it were all the Homunculi, why? Because they didn't posses what humans did; a heart.

* * *

 ** _Endlessly:_** _There's a shop down the street, where they sell plastic rings, for a quarter a piece, I swear it._ Ed stared at the small shop, wide innocent gold eyes fixated on it. It was simple in appearance, made majorly from wood and glass, the window pane decorated nicely with warm colors, children's toys and trinkets. And there, nestled between lovely decorations and small wristbands laid a ring. _Yeah, I know that it's cheap and not like gold in your dreams._ Ed couldn't help but look at it in awe, it was simple, really, made from plastic with a nice diamond-like jewel in the middle that reminded him of someone's beautiful blue eyes. He pressed his little hands against the window, staring at it adoringly and thinking absentmindedly how the ring would complement the gear heads eyes. _But I hope that you'll still wear it. And the ink may stain my skin and my jeans may all be ripped._ Ed dug in his pockets, tongue slightly sticking out of his mouth as a wide smile brightened his face, pulling out a few coins. He counted them and looked at the small price tag, biting his lip worriedly. _I'm not perfect, but I swear I'm perfect for you._ With renewed determination, Ed fisted what little money he had and ran inside the shop, bypassing a older woman who got nearly knocked over by the youngster's enthusiasm.

"Excuse me!" the elder shopkeeper leaned over the countertop and looked down at the golden haired boy in surprise, "Could you give me that plastic ring over at the window please?" doing as he was told, the elderly man retrieved the small item from the place at the window display and held it up for the boy to see. Ed nodded, placing the few coins on the countertop, but before the shopkeeper could say anything, Ed vigorously shook his head, "Don't worry mister, I'll work for it! I don't have enough money but I'll work for it!" the shopkeeper was taken aback, "There's no need young one, you can take it-" Ed stomped his foot, "No! I'm not taking it without paying!" seeing the stubborn determination burning fiercely in the young one's golden eyes, the ma sighed reluctantly. "Hmm...how about you help me decorating?" Ed smiled and nodded, gold innocent eyes widening in excitement and delight. The old man laughed and beckoned Ed forward. _There's not guarantee, that this will be easy._ Ed worked hard and quick, making sure to put everything back where it was and neatly organizing the toys and trinkets within the shop, his mind all the while focused on the ring and her eyes. _It's not a miracle you need, believe me. Yeah, I'm no angel, I'm just me, but I'll love you endlessly. Wings aren't what you need, you need me._ Ed cleaned the floor, the windows and polished the woodsy textures of little figures the man himself made, it didn't matter that the man insisted Ed didn't have to do all these things, he _wanted_ to, because he didn't want to be _gifted_ that ring. Because...just like for her affections, Ed will _work_ for it. _Yeah, you need me (I know you need me),you need me (I know you need me), you need me (I know you need me)._

Ed grinned in triumph, waving at the elderly man before running straight out of the shop, the shopkeeper smiled warmly and waved back, wishing the little boy all the best of luck. _There's a shop down the street, where they sell plastic rings, for a quarter a piece, I swear it._ With labored breath, Edward ran towards the very familiar house. It seemed like years passed, his dark boots kicking dirt behind him as he increased his speed, a small, metallic object clutched tightly in his hand. _Yeah, I know that it's cheap, not like gold in your dreams._ He finally reached the house, grinning from ear to ear as he nearly slammed himself straight through the door and into the house, panting like a dog. He didn't even bother shrugging off his coat, he met Winry in the kitchen and she seemed startled to see Edward so out of breath. "Ed? What happened? Did you run?" Winry worriedly looked at her boyfriend, but he just grinned and shook his head, his eyes alight with happiness and excitement and nervousness. "I got ya something, Winry," with a deep breath, Ed opened his palm he had been clutching tightly closed till now and revealed the precious object inside of it. Winry gasped, a smile automatically making its way to her face. It was a ring. _But I hope that you'll still wear it._ Both adults had tears in their eyes as Ed put the ring on her ring finger, right next to the old, plastic one he had gotten her all those years ago. The rings matched each-other and her eyes, both were blue.

* * *

 ** _Zanbato or Hsu Quandao:_** Lena rubbed her chin thoughtfully, eyes narrowing critically, eyeing the assorted items with interest and sharp critique. Greed leaned casually against a wooden beam supporting the shop his girlfriend was currently staring into, the shopkeeper slowly inched closer to him and whispered with his hand covering his mouth, "Um...how long will she think of choosing a weapon if I may ask?" Greed gave a roguish grin, "That could take a while old man, I'd say if you're lucky about half a day," the shopkeeper stared wide eyed at Greeds carefree expression, "H-h-half a day!? B-b-but I have other customers!" the Homunculus smirked, "Oh no, that woman will take your whole attention, trust me,". " _Aha!"_ it seemed like Lena actually found something of interest and the shopkeeper immediately appeared by her side, eager to see if she finally chose a weapon to her liking and would finally leave. Lena inspected the weapon closely, "Hmm...excuse me but from where did you get this?" she shot the shopkeeper a suspicious look and the man felt sweat moistening his hair, "I-I bought it f-from a tradesman f-from Xing," he fidgeted nervously, scared to death she didn't like it. Lena ignored the nervous man and turned toward Greed, "Hmm...what do you think?" Lena slammed the sword down on Greed, who effortlessly put his shield up and stretched his arm out to test its durability. It broke in thousands of pieces, the shopkeeper was mortified and Lena was disappointed, holding the broken blade with a sad pout, "Aw man, it broke," she whined, glaring at the owner. The poor man was at a loss for words, "W-w-w-what are you _doing_?! You have to pay for that! That had been one of my finer swords!" he was freaking out about the fact that the blade didn't even harm the man and that said man managed to destroy it without so much as batting an eye. Lena shrugged, "Sorry, but I need something that's strong enough to be on par with my boyfriends shield," she nodded, fist bumping with Greed, who smirked cockily.

The blacksmith covered his face in exasperation before an idea hit him, "Um...I think there may be something to your liking," he quickly disappeared at the back, rummaging through some boxes until he found what he was looking for. When he reappeared, he carried two weapons with him. One was a long, sturdy looking Hsu Quandao, a spear lacking a counterbalance iron ball at the end. The second weapon was something unique, it looked like a overly large Zanbato, but it was shaped like a kunai the Xingese people wielded, it actually _looked_ like a oversized kunai itself. "W-well?" he bit his tongue, nearly drawing blood when Lena took the Hsu Quandao. Testing the weight in her hands, she ran a finger down its steel length, eyeing the sharp blade with a critical eye, eyes lighting with interest at seeing the ancient looking Xingese words engraved onto the blade. Without warning, she slammed the blade against Greeds shoulder, the Homunculus had the common sense to keep his shield up at all times whenever his wonderful girlfriend was in close proximity to any sort of weapons. Good for him anyway. Lena let out a thoughtful hum at the blade's durability, undeterred by the shocked and panicked expression of the shopkeeper, "...How much for both of them?" Greed rose an eyebrow, already taking out his wallet and fearing it's life was about to end a tragic death by starvation. The shopkeeper was sweating buckets, swallowing loudly and shakily holding out a hand, meekly saying the price for both weapons. Lena's wallet was already out, but Greed resolutely stepped up and pushed his girlfriend aside. Lena, annoyed, whacked Greed with her new weapon on the back of his head, he was unfazed, shooting her a brief glare before paying the poor, hyperventilating shopkeeper before he fainted from a heart attack. After they were headed back home, Greed rubbed at the back of his head, "That hurt," he pouted. Lena grinned, "Good, that means these babies are good quality," Greed smirked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "You sure know how to pick them," Lena smirked back, "I sure know how to pick my men too," she leaned up to kiss Greed's cheek, he grinned. "Heh, can't argue there," she laughed and playfully elbowed him, Greed just chuckled.

* * *

 ** _Den:_** _"_ _Please don't be annoyed when I jump all over you the second you walk through the door. I have a lot less time on this earth and I'm happiest when I get to spend it with you."_ Winry smiled, lovingly scratching Den behind her ears and petting the top of her head and snout, Den barked happily, nuzzling into his owner's hand and licking her cheek affectionately. " _Talk to me. We may not speak the same language, but just the sound of your voice always brightens my day,"_ Winry laughed, throwing the stick into the air, "C'mon Den fetch! That's a good girl!" Den barked and jumped up, catching the piece of wood in her mouth and wagging happily with her tail when Winry cheered. " _Comfort me when I'm scared. I'm not used to a lot of noise or new things and you make me feel safe,"_ Winry smiled softly and gently cradled Den closer to her, shielding her shivering form with the blanket and the comfort of the fire burning behind them, "Shhh, it's alright Den, it's just a storm," her owner's soothing tone entered her ears and Den's shivering got less violent than before, burying her snout in Winry's soft bosom and inhaling the familiar scent of her master and friend that always gave her a sense of security.

" _Give me time to understand what you want from me. I promise I'll do my best,"_ Den tilted her head to the side, not understand what Winry wanted even when she frantically pointed from the kitchen to the floor, where a rag laid. Did she want her to pick it up? Eat it? Chew on it? She already chewed on it but decided the taste was awful and left it in the living room. " _Please don't stay mad at me for too long. You have your family and friends to make you happy, I only have you,"_ Den's ears flattened on her head when she saw Winry laughing and being happy when her mate said something and his brother laughed at his joke as well, her master seemed happy. Winry noticed Den looking gloomy in the corner, so she briefly abandoned her mate and friend and rushed to kneel in front of her, holding her face in her hands, blue eyes apologetic, "Hey there girl, let's not fight anymore alright?" Den barked once in agreement, immediately pressing her forepaws against Winry's shoulders and licking her whole face to show her happiness. Winry just laughed.

" _Give me the freedom to be a bit wild and dirty, it makes me happy to be able to be outside with you,"_ Winry laughed as she and Den rolled around in the grass, mud staining their clothes and fur, but they didn't care. Den ran around her owner, barking and wagging her tail, before jumping in a puddle of mud and splattering some on Winry's face, making her laugh harder. " _Show me that humans can be loving and not full of hate,"_ Winry slammed her wrench against the side of the man's head, immediately sending him flying into a unconscious state as she dropped her wrench and kneeled down on the ground, cradling Den close to her and soothingly rubbing her fur, redness smudging the spot on her face where white fur was a stark contrast to black. "Hey girl, don't worry, he won't hurt you anymore," Den whimpered, licking away the blood that gathered at the edges of her mouth and burying her head into Winry, the feeling of relief washing over her tired body. " _If you treat me well, I promise I'll be your best friend,_ _ **forever**_ _,"_ Winry grinned widely, running around and Den chasing after her, barking and wagging her tail happily. " _I love when you teach me new tricks, it gives me the chance to impress you and I love it when you're proud of me,"_ "You go Den! See that dog over there? That's my girl!" Winry cheered the loudest of the crowd as Den did a back flip mid air successfully, the first one from the rest of the village dogs. And when Winry ran up from her position on her seat to run down and hug her dog, who had a medal around her neck, Den felt like the luckiest dog in the world.

" _When I get old, please love me as much as you did when I was young,"_ Winry soothingly stroked Den's fur at her back, "You're feeling those old bones too huh old girl?" Den sighed sleepily, nuzzling her snout against Winry's thigh as she enjoyed the ministrations done to her. She licked Winry's thigh in gratitude and the older woman giggled, scratching gently behind Den's ear. " _I may not be a sweet little puppy anymore, but I love you just as much as I did back then,"_ Den dropped the newspaper on her owner's lap and Winry smiled softly, patting her head, "Hey, you didn't have to bring me the newspaper, you know," Den licked her fingers, settling down beside her on the veranda and looking out at the setting sun, "It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?" Den could only agree. " _Please be at my side when I take my final breath,"_ Den coughed repeatedly and Winry's worry increased, immediately she gripped Ed's arm, "Ed," the tall blonde nodded, understanding her gaze, immediately Ed carefully lifted Den into his arms and carried her into the house, Pinako waiting worriedly at the desk in order to check on her dog. " _I know it won't be easy but I need you when my time on this earth ends,"_ tears flooded Winry's blue eyes when Pinako shook her head solemnly, the old woman herself had tears in her eyes as she caressed her dog's head affectionately and slowly. Den's eyes were shifting in and out of focus, breathing got heavier somehow, she didn't know why, it just did. " _I'll be scared, but you're the one person I can trust to be with me,"_ Winry stepped forward, gently gripping Den's forepaw, squeezing gently and attempting to soothe her ache by rubbing slow circles on the limb.

 _"When I'm gone, please remember these words..."_ Winry released a cry when Pinako shook her head for a final time after checking Den's heart rate. " _People are born to learn how to lead a good life and be a good person every day. Dogs already know how to do that, that's why they don't need to live so long,"_ Ed gently rubbed her back and held her to him, tears of his own in his eyes, looking at the now lifeless form of Den. Winry cried and cried, holding Ed and Pinako in her arms. Den had been one of the closest friends she ever had, it didn't matter that she wasn't human, all it mattered was her heart and Winry knew, Den had the biggest heart of all.

* * *

 ** _Complete:_** "You complete me," he said sincerely, eyes warm and loving. She smiled and kissed him, pushing back her long blonde hair, "No..I _accept_ you _completely,_ " and with a certain, familiar twinkle in his eyes and a happy grin, he agreed.

* * *

 ** _Price of Peace:_** "Tell me, little human, do you believe in _god_?" glowing red eyes burned through Ed's very soul, his throat constricted and he felt like he couldn't breathe. The deity didn't give him any time to answer, "Of course you do, everyone believes in death, everyone _knows_ it's inevitable. And yet you choose to live despite knowing you'll die. I wonder...why are humans so foolish?" Ed's eyes widened, "They say in order to attain freedom and create the perfect world, all evil must be cleansed from it. And how do they get rid of it?" sharp teeth stretched into a smirk, "They _eliminate_ it," Ed stepped back, eyes wide in fear, "W-who the hell are you?" the creature smiled, "I'm the god of death, _Shinigami,_ " the scenery changed and the god was in his own dark realm, he chuckled, "The price of peace...is _death_ , little human," he watched as Edward's lifespan fell to zero. ( **A/N: inspired by the anime "Death Note")**

* * *

 ** _Lost:_** You don't know what you have until its gone. _I lost her._ But the truth is... _She's gone._ You knew what you had... _She was my whole world..._...but you never thought you would lose it. _She was supposed to be beside me..._ He knelt down by the piece of stone and disturbed earth, laying the pretty white lilies on the ground. With a small, sad smile tugging at his lips he whispered softly, "Hey there, Win..."

 ** _It wasn't Him:_** It wasn't _God_ that took her away. _It was the illness._ It wasn't _Him_ that gave her the news. _It was the doctor._ It wasn't _Gods_ plan to let her suffer. _It just happened._ Greed slowly walked forward, his hands in his pockets, shadows dancing across his face as the stillness of the darkness around him became too much and he needed to speak, "Tch... _God_ huh? Where is your god now?" he sighed, shaking his head solemnly. "Truth is kids...there were never things like gods or demons, or fairies and angels...those were children's bedtime stories." He paused, smirking ruefully, "No..." he smirked, "Things were never like that..." Greed lifted his head to look directly at the camera, "The truth...the _real_ truth is... _God_ is just someone people put the blame on when they don't know any other way. It's nobody's fault someone suddenly dies because the plague came over the country. It was nobody's fault when someone was unhappy with their life and ended it for the sake of their own happiness. But..." he looked to the side, turning around, the light fading with his retreating form, "...it hadn't been her fault either..." the whispered words were left with the fall of a picture on the ground. The woman in the picture was laughing and smiling, Greed beside her with a big grin and a little rattle, bought for their future child that never was.

 **UGH! THE FUCKING FEELS!**...Excuse my language (coughs) right, after a long time of not updating, here I am. ^^ **BTW:** I updated my **Instagram account** and added a few photos and quotes, most of (my own made up lol) quotes I'll be using here too so check them out and tell me what you think! ;)


	102. Back in Time 2

**ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **GrumpyCatWriter101:** haha Ah trust me, it broke my heart too coming up with the ideas and writing them down T_T hehe well our little crazy Kimblee also needs some love ;)

 **Bob:** Oh really? Cool! Write it down in the review! Or uh...hmm...oh right! Send me an email or simply through the reviews I would love to hear it! :)

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** (sniff) ...(sniff) T_T I FEEL WITH YOU! (starts sobbing and eating chocolate) Oh Den...you poor, wonderful dog you...T_T

 **Panic:** Thanks so much Panic, ahh...now I don't like playing favorites, but you're one of the readers I can't wait reading a review about since you always make sure and put so much effort into giving me a glimpse of what you think of my stories and what you liked/didn't like...etc. Thank you so much for it :) Hehe thanks! The idea for Lena liking weapons (particularly traditional ones such as swords) stems partly from my own fascination with them and about combining the use of firearms and swords in the military with Lena's expertise in martial arts and swords, I thought it to be a nice touch ^^. Ugh, sorry for this long review again but I just can't shut up! . I'm glad that my writing (sometimes anyway) can impact people like this, that has been one of my key goals ever since I started writing :3

 **INFO ON THE CHAPTER:** I WON'T write everything from the beginning to end...etc. since everything is exactly the same as it is with **Back in Time,** only _this_ one has a special scene included where Ling and Greed have a short but "meaningful" conversation before parting ways. :)

* * *

 **Back in Time 2**

"It's alright Bido, nobody's blaming you even if someone did follow you. Perhaps it could be a master thief," Ling heard the unsheathing of a blade. He cursed mentally, hand on the hilt of his sword.

Even if it did come down to a fight, he actually wasn't even supposed to see any of them, least of all Greed. Damn it!

"Wait," Greed stretched his arm out, sunglasses tucked into his breast pocket. He had smelled the scent too, perhaps not as potently as Dolcetto, but he had smelled it nonetheless.

The unnerving thing about it was, it smelled a bit like him too. But it wasn't any of his stupid Homunculi siblings.

Dolcetto and Martel looked at him expectantly, "Boss?" the dog chimera asked, a hand on the hilt of his sword.

Greed shook his head, "Leave it, I don't think it's anything to concern ourselves over. Didn't ya want to eat huh?" Greed fixed them with a meaningful stare and the group reluctantly calmed down, sheathing their weapons and slowly sitting down on the chairs, each grabbing a portion for themselves, leaving something for their leader as well.

"Boss? Where are you going?" Dolcetto asked, eyebrow raised suspiciously, his instincts telling him to follow the man he came to know as friend and leader for protection.

"Just gonna get some fresh air, don't follow me," Greed walked into the tunnel Bido had come from, as silent as a mouse.

Ling quickly retreated, jumping silently from side to side until he was a good distance away from Greed, who stopped after being farther away enough from his gang not to hear.

"Alright...listen up, whoever the hell you are," Greed's voice echoed through the sewers and Ling froze, damn he had been found out.

"I don't know what's your deal or why you followed us here but if you want to hurt my gang ya better turn back around. I don't treat strangers kindly who try taking away whats mine," Ling speculated Greed had his shield up as he said this, a threat.

There was a short pause, before Greed spoke again, "You also smell a bit like me, but I can tell you ain't a Homunculus. Just who are you?" his words echoed through the sewers.

Then Ling decided to answer, "A friend," before he quickly started running in the opposite direction, rounding a corner just as Greed reached the spot Ling hid in previously.

"What the..." Greed growled under his breath, annoyed at not having missed his chance of seeing the punk that sneaked in her.

"Wait...he said he was a friend? Who the hell...?" Greed crossed his arms, a serious, thoughtful look on his face.

For some unexplainable reason, he thought of Xing, he had no idea why that country all of a sudden, as he didn't have any ties to it at all.

"Tch..." Greed turned back around, walking back toward his hideout, "Stupid piss-ant,"

"G-Greed...that was Greed...he seemed different but it was still Greed! I can't...damn it not now!" Ling furiously rubbed at his eyes, feeling himself drown in despair and sadness at the thoughts of Greed's final moments before his death.

Ling sobbed, punching the wall in front of him repeatedly, "No matter what I do! I can't bring him back! Not through alchemy, not through time travel! It's impossible! Ed was right! You can't bring back someone from the dead!" he fell to his knees, his hands in his face as his tears fell in droplets to the ground.

"Hey! What the hell are ya crying for?!" the voice of none other than Greed rang out loudly through the sewers and when Ling, tears and snot running down his face, looked up at him, his eyebrow was raised in question, hands on his hips.

When Ling didn't say anything for a while, Greed tilted his head, waving his hand, "Hey! I'm talking to you! Can. You. Understand. Me?" Greed thought for a moment, before he started speaking in a language composed of bits and pieces of other languages randomly thrown together in what Ling called: gibberish.

He rolled his eyes, "I understand you!" Ling shouted, stopping the Homunculus from coming up with more absurd wannabe languages in his head.

He cursed, pounding his fist against his open palm:" Damn...I should have written it down somewhere to know what the hell I've said..."

Ling wanted to smack him, "You stupid ass! I'm speaking _your_ language! Not that gibberish you've just made up!"

Greed looked offended, "Hey, hey! What's your deal? You don't insult a man in his own home and anyway, what are you doing here following my subjects around?" Greed threateningly touched Ling's chin with the tip of a very sharp, deadly claw infused with the Ultimate Shield.

Ling casually slapped his hand away, used to his threats and Greed seemed dumbstruck at such an action, "Stop trying to intimidate me, that stopped working long ago,"

Greed blinked in confusion, "What the hell?! Alright, that's enough! Tell me who the hell you are or I'll make sure your screams can be heard till Xing," he threatened, the confusion and nearly playful amusement gone from his eyes.

Ling straightened slowly, dusting off his pants, eyes pained, "I'm...no one," his heart gave a tug.

Greed snorted, "Tch, yeah right, you were blabbering something earlier about being a friend. What gives? I never saw you before," he rose an eyebrow.

Ling sighed, "Look, I'm not here to cause trouble for you Greed," he held his hands up.

"How do you know my name?" Greed's gaze was narrowed.

Ling hesitated, "...I know you can be a damn hothead and impatient, but as soon as I'm gone, you'll find out after a while who I am alright?" Ling smiled tightly, seeing Greed after witnessing his death was shattering his heart.

Greed frowned and crossed his arms, taking off his sunglasses, "So...you wanna tell me I have yet to meet you? Like in the future?" he seemed skeptical, "Alright, let's test it. What am I and who do I hate the most?" he smirked.

Ling sighed, "You're a Homunculus. If you mean who you hate from your siblings, it would be Envy the most. Otherwise, we are at each-other's throats all the time," he grinned a bit, feeling some of the usual comfortable feeling returning when talking to Greed, even if this one didn't know him yet.

Greed's eyes widened to the size of saucers, "What the-? H-hey you-"

Ling smiled tightly, "Sorry, gotta run," he swiftly turned and sprinted in the opposite direction, tears trailing down his face.

"Hey wait! Damn it!" Greed cursed and ran after him, but the stupid prince threw his sword at him which Greed easily deflected but thanks to the brief distraction, Ling was gone.

He couldn't hear his footsteps anymore, maybe he had escaped somehow to above, Greed didn't know, but he scratched at his head in confusion, wondering who the weird man was.

He looked down at the sword and picked it up, staring at it in annoyance before noticing the swords blade.

His gaze narrowed and he tapped his claw against it, this was...this was _his_ shield covering it...but...how did that punk get his hands on his shield? Normally, Greed would need to willingly transfer his shield onto something so it was coating its surface...

" _Just who are you?"_

 _"_ _A friend,"_

Greed froze, gaze unseeing as he stared at the wall on the far end of the sewer, " _...A-a friend..."_ he stared down at the sword, " _...from the future?"_

Greed found himself overcome with emotions, he shook his head furiously, suddenly seeing weird pictures, depicting him with that strange man, laughing, bickering and actually fighting together, against Gluttony, Pride...Father...what the hell?

Maybe he'd had one too many drinks...he placed a hand on his head, exhaling.

"Heh...no way am I touching Roa's special drinks ever again..." he groaned, looking in the direction where the man had ran off to, "...stupid piss ant..." he shook his head, heading back to his team.

When he returned, the gang looked at him in concern, looking at him from head to toe to see if he were in a fight, Dolcetto stepped forth, "Hey boss, you alright? What took you so long?" his gaze traveled down to his hand, where he still held the sword coated in his shield, "Where did you get that fancy sword?"

Greed looked down at it, "Can I take a look?" he growled at Dolcetto, who looked like a kicked pup and backed away.

"Nobody touches it, understand?" Greed passed by his surprised companions and into his room, closing and locking the door.

He placed the sword on a small shelf on the wall and fell back on his bed, arms resting behind his head, glasses on his stomach.

He stared at the sword, remembering the stranger's face and realizing he never caught his name.

" _Hey Greed!"_ his eyes widened and he looked around, swearing he heard the stranger's voice from somewhere.

" _Whoa, now that's one hell of a woman! Where have you been hiding her?"_

 _"_ _What can I say, I'm full of surprises!"_

Greed sat up, looking all around his room before he clutched at his head as if in pain, "What the hell is this?" he growled, "Why am I seeing this?"

 _"_ _You're not a monster Greed!"_

Greed slammed his sunglasses against the wall, panting heavily, hearing the stranger's voice in his head, remembering conversations that never happened and seeing...seeing _pictures_ or _visions_ with that weirdo and him!

Where was all this coming from?!

" _Damn it!"_ he clutched at his head and roared, willing for the voices and pictures to go away.

" _Let's fight him together, eh partner?"_

Greed froze, slowly lowering his arms, staring down at his hands then back up at the sword on the wall and he whispered a single word that suddenly forced a tear out of him,

" _Ling,"_

 **Very short I know but...T_T the feels...** Anyway, what chapter do you want to see next? :)


	103. 2003 meets 2009

Thanks for giving me a new idea **Bob** about the **FMA X Attack on Titan CROSSOVER** , I'll publish it **separately** since it's a **crossover** but it will still be a "one shot" from this collection! :) I promise to write it as soon as I can (haven't watched AOT in ages...have to rewatch it so I know how to write hilarious scenes between **clean freak Levi and doorphobia man and messy eater Ling** ^^)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** haha no problem, good luck with school! I understand you completely! .

 **Bob:** Read the text above the 'Answers to Reviews'! And one little thing, can the reason for how they're sent there be a "distortion / mistake in a alchemical formula" the Elrics are testing out after they meet up at the Rockbells **after** their adventures to the West and East or should I come up with something else? Should they come in AOT at a specific event or...? For example, right in the middle of battle when the titans are attacking or something? I've written a funny but small paragraph depicting Greed and the whole army (I can write it in my next reply if you want). Oh! And should Ed be able to use alchemy in this one but still be as old as he is at the end of Brotherhood? :) Sorry for all these questions, just want to know how to write it out :3

 **GrumpyCatWriter101:** *_* AWW! (hugs you) Thanks so much! This is seriously a huge compliment for an author! Haha Sorry for the random hug, I never would have thought that my OC (Lena) would be so well liked by my readers /^_^/ Sure thing I can write something with Greed X Lena, I actually have half a chapter sitting on my Word doc about them, I just need to flesh it out more :3

 **Panic:** haha Of course I do! I look forward to each one but I'm really giddy about the ones where I know 'Oh yeah! I'll ge to read what I should improve /what readers liked/ didn't like...etc. Reviews are pretty important to writers, since we can decide where our story can go from there and what our readers want. I have a few stories stagnating (which is the worst thing that can happen .) because of lack of reviews and writers block :/ Really, thanks :) haha and thanks for the compliment, I'm glad my stories do have some impact on readers ;) O.o Really? To be honest, I've written it while I was sitting in the bus (yeah...I just laughed at this sentence lol) and I thought it was "meh" from the quality ^^ Good to know it's not all that bad. Ah really? Will do! I'll rewrite it so it's clearer to who's talking, thanks for the tipp! ;) Don't worry, that will come right after I publish two chapters I've already written beforehand. :3

 **OtakuGirl:** (smirks) You just read my mind girl ;)

 **INFO ON CHAPTER:**

 **2003 characters:** will be either referred to directly by "2003 Roy" for example or "Roy", using only **first** names.

 **2009 characters:** "2009 Roy", "Roy from the Brotherhood series" or "Mustang" (using mostly **last** names here for 2009 characters).

* * *

 **2003 meets 2009**

"Who the _hell_ are you?" Lust's eyebrow nearly shot up to her hairline when she stared the other woman down.

"Pardon me dear, but I think I should be asking who _you_ are?" 2003 Sloth passed a emotionless look over the other woman.

Sloth from the Brotherhood series stared dumbly at the beautiful woman, who looked at him, no apparent emotion displayed on her pretty features.

"Don't tell me I look like _this_ six years later?" she covered her mouth, staring at Sloth's large size and bulging muscles.

Lust rested a arm against Sloth's reassuringly, hand on her hip, eyes narrowed, "Tch, and what do you mean with that? This look suits him far better than the likes of you," she stared at Sloth's modest chest.

Sloth narrowed her eyes slightly before Lust from the 2003 series stepped up, "I dated Scar's brother," she smirked evilly.

Lust smirked back, "I dated a hundred men _and_ Havoc and I nearly killed Mustang," she licked her lips and Mustang, who was a few feet away from the Homunculi, shivered and scratched at his neck uncomfortably.

2003 Lust frowned, crossing her arms her gaze softening, "Don't you desire to be human? To live a free life? Away from your siblings and our controlling Father?"

Brotherhood Lust snorted, "Wretched fool, what could I possibly gain by becoming a weak little human? Humans are doomed to repeat their mistakes and seldom learning from them, I shall not suffer the same fate," she smirked and 2003 Lust frowned.

Two palm trees stared each-other down, "Alright...what sort of sick joke is this? My hair isn't _that_ green and thin!" Brotherhood Envy pointed at his older counterpart.

2003 Envy snorted, "My true form is far more attractive than this piece of shit,"

"I _dare_ you to say that again, _bastard_ ," Envy's form morphed into the green monster he was known for, preparing to clash with his counterpart.

"...Food?" Sloth asked the woman, staring down at her emptily, she looked around but found him to be speaking to her.

"...You're hungry? I don't have anything on me but this..." she offered him an apple and he gently took it from her, both of their expressions empty as they looked at each-other.

"I heard you could...turn into...water?" Sloth stared at her and she smirked for the first time, he grinned slightly, eyes empty but there was something in that lazy grin...

"Oh boy...this won't be good," Mustang scratched at the back of his neck, looking at seemingly his twin, who was leaning coolly against a wall that just magically appeared from somewhere.

"So...you're me? From...the year 2003?" he blinked.

"I suppose so," Roy's hands were in his pockets, gaze haunted, "I killed Pride...did you?"

Mustang blinked rapidly, looking on the other side where the Homunculi were, staring at the dark shadow child in wonder, "...You killed _Pride_?"

Roy nodded seriously, "He may have been a old man whose swordsmanship surpassed that of any I've seen but..."

Mustang scratched at his messy black hair, not understanding anything, since when could Pride _sword fight_?! Since when was he a old man?! A vision of Bradley appeared in his mind instead. He shivered.

"This is a surprise," Brotherhood Pride muttered to his Bradley counterpart.

The 2003 Pride, in Bradley's body, smirked, "I see, so in your world, I'm...a child?" he snorted, "How the mighty have fallen..." he snickered.

Brotherhood Pride smirked evilly, shadows danced beneath his feet, soft tendrils of darkness turning into razor sharp tentacles, teeth bared threateningly with eyes the color of blood, Pride licked his lips, "Could you repeat that? I'm afraid I didn't hear you..." he smirked.

King Bradley, or Wrath, from Brotherhood watched the spectacle with mild amusement, shaking his head. He desperately tried to ignore the weird little kid in leather getup with wild hair that kept trying to tell him that...that _child_ was him, _Wrath_. Oh no, Bradley won't believe it. No...no way he was some wild little kid Homunculus in that 2003 series...no, just _no_.

"Uh..." Edward Elric scratched at his head, confused, "Hey Win? What...why am I seeing double?" he looked back and forth between himself and his... _twin_ or... _whatever_!

"Hey...since when did I grow?" Ed from the 2003 series blinked, "I'm not complaining but..." Brotherhood Ed growled, waving his fist at the other man, "Hey! Stop making comments about my height! Why the hell are you still a pipsqueak anyway?!"

Both Ed's face palmed, realizing that, no matter what year they were from, they just called _themselves_ pipsqueak.

"Oh Ed..." both Winry's sighed, shaking their heads.

"Um...hello," Alphonse Elric greeted kindly, looking at his 2003 counterpart.

"Hi..." Alphonse replied back, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

" _W-WHAT?!"_ both Al's looked to their right, they saw brotherhood Edward attempting to strangle 2003 Ed, who tried to pry the older male off, "YOU USED YOUR BODY AS A TRANSMUTATION CIRCLE?! YOU'RE SAYING THAT SHORTY ENVY KILLED YOU?!"

"HEY! I HEARD THAT ERLIC!" brotherhood Envy growled, eyes glowing a threatening red but Ed paid him no mind.

"H-hey now wait! I had to! I had no other choice!" 2003 Ed tried to reason, but 2009 Edward didn't try to listen.

"Wait a second, what the hell happened on the Promised Day? What happened with Hohenheim and the rest? What happened to Greed?" he shook him by the collar of his shirt.

A dark look crossed 2003 Edward's face, "...I...I killed Greed...he helped me figure out how Homunculi can be killed...by destroying their remains so they were unable to regenerate again." He bit his lip, eyes glistening, "He helped me...and I...I killed him..." suddenly a dark, angry look crossed his young features, "What do you mean what happened to Hohenheim? I hope I never see that bastard again! He betrayed mom! With some woman named 'Dante'!" he growled, teeth bared and eyes furious.

Brotherhood Ed's eyes widened in shock, " _The hell_?! That can't be! I know the bearded bastard hasn't done much right in his measly life but he never betrayed mom! That's about one of few things he _did_ right!" Ed could _swear_ he heard a whimper from somewhere... "Besides...who's Dante?" Elric rose an eyebrow.

2003 Edward sighed.

"Wait...but you still work as a mechanic right?" Brotherhood Winry looked at her counterpart, with the other nodding in confirmation, "Oh thank god," brotherhood Winry sighed in relief.

The two Greed's looked at each-other from head to toe. Brotherhood Greed smirked, "...I like your style," he grinned.

2003 lifted his sunglasses up, lifting an eyebrow skeptically, "...I like your style too but...since when am I Xingese?" he blinked perplexedly at Greedling, who just crossed his arms and grinned.

Ling piped in, "Hey, hey, hey! I sure hope you don't have anything against my country!" Greed took control over his body again, silencing the prince.

He looked at his counterpart, "Heh...sorry...he does that sometimes to annoy me," it looked like he was arguing with himself.

2003 Greed blinked, running a hand down his face, "Aw hell...did I get multiple personality disorder in the afterlife or what?" he stared at the bickering Greedling duo.

"...Eat?" Brotherhood Gluttony stared up at what was supposed to be his 2003 counterpart but, instead of his normal round form, took on the form of a impossibly large, very gluttonous, very dangerous white multiheaded... _monster_.

"Lust...why am I...chained?" he pointed to the white struggling monster that snapped at him with his teeth.

Brotherhood Lust sighed, "What I heard from my counterpart is...well...basically somebody manipulated your stone and converted you to...this state," she stared at the ravenous Gluttony from 2003 with narrowed eyes, seeing how saliva was dripping down his massive teeth, jaws snapping at everything that moved.

"Gluttony...bad?" Brotherhood Gluttony inquired, white beady eyes blinking, thumb stuck between his lips.

"...Yes Gluttony...bad," Lust nodded, staring up at the large mass of moving heads and snapping jaws.

"I think we should write a list," Brotherhood Ed suggested, staring at all his friends and their 2003 counterparts incredulously.

2003 Ed nodded absentmindedly, "Yeah...let's start from the year 2003..."

"Gotcha..." Brotherhood Ed swallowed, readjusting his collar.

 **Again...a pretty short chapter, I admit I sort of didn't really have much inspiration for how that meeting could go out, I may flesh it out later... ( sweat drop)**


	104. Never Regretting

**Hello everyone!** Well...school started today and tomorrow there is an exam that just waits to be written by me! (cries) Ahem...that means I'll be in a lot of stress, since my final exams for this year aren't even two weeks from now and I won't be able to really update any of my stories . My apologies (bows)

After the horror trip is over, namely in June, I can update regularly again, of course if I don't start a internship or summer job somewhere, but even then I'll update regularly! :=)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** Huh? (looks back at fanfic) (scratches head in confusion) Huuuh? Wait a sec...I'm pretty sure I wrote "Envy killed Ed" "the shorty Envy killed Ed" (in FMA)...right? Am I seeing things? Sorry, maybe I read wrong (rubs chin)

 **Pouda-P:** (smiles brightly) Aw thanks! :) haha sure thing thanks for the compliments! ^^

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Never Regretting**

"Hm...it's odd," Winry while rummaging through tool box.

Ed, "What is?" he looked at her back facing him.

"You're in the exact same position where I was making a new arm for you, at the night before the Promised Day," she didn't turn around, instead trying to search for the screwdriver.

Ed released a thoughtful hum, "Hm...I guess," he lifted his hand to stare at human flesh instead of the automail arm he had been so used to seeing all these years.

Sometimes, it felt weird. It may sound stupid to people, but whenever Ed would see his real arm in place of his automail, he would feel...weird. He had gotten so used to doing things with automail and fighting with it, that he partly had relearn some things. Like testing out the limits of his strength, his stamina, the amount of damage his human hand could take. Metal would dent and bend, but it didn't hurt. But bending his wrist in a unnatural angle certainly _did_ hurt.

"Hey, Winry?" Ed asked quietly, still looking at his flesh hand. She hummed in acknowledgment, listening, "Do you...sometimes miss me having an automail arm?"

There was silence for a moment before, just like the night before the Promised Day, Winry suddenly slammed her wrench on his head painfully hard, nearly giving him a concussion from the blow.

He yelped loudly, rubbing his head in pain, "OUCH! WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR YOU AUTOMAIL FREAK?!" he growled at her.

Winry shouted at his face, wrench at her hip, "FOR EVEN ASKING ME SUCH A STUPID QUESTION! YOU MORON!"

She calmed down slighty, but just so she wasn't in his face anymore, she was still partly shouting though, " _Of course_ I don't miss you having an automail arm! It means less work for me and less risks of reattaching your nerves to it and adjusting its size and weight every time you miraculously manage to grow an inch or two!" Ed bristled at that, glaring at his childhood friend.

Winry looked at him before sighing heavily, "I'm really glad you managed to get your arm back and Alphonse too of course..." she almost lovingly caressed his leg, his automail leg, now the only part of him made from automail, "Besides...I still got this to tinker with," she lightly tapped it with her wrench.

Ed grew serious, thoughtful as he looked down at his leg, Winry noticed, "Where did the question suddenly come from? It's not like you're regretting anything, right?"

Ed quickly shook his head, "No, it's not that. It's just..." he swallowed, "I have to learn some things new. Like having to test out how much pain and weight I can handle on my other arm, I can't get into fights carelessly with guys having weapons without seriously injuring myself now,"

Winry rolled her eyes, "Like you haven't before," she deadpanned, Ed pointedly ignored it.

"...my automail had saved my ass a couple of times and now I just need to be more careful without it. Especially since I can't do any alchemy anymore either,"

Winry's face fell, her eyes held a sadness Edward hadn't seen before, her voice was soft and quiet when she spoke, "Do you...regret it?"

His answer was quick, "No,"

Surprised, she stared at him with wide blue eyes. Ed stared back, gold gaze resolute, "I don't regret it and I would never think of it either. Sacrificing my use of alchemy managed to save Al and everyone else. I could never regret something that saved the lives of my friends and family," he was so serious and so sincere that Winry briefly wondered if she was still talking to the same goofy dork she knew for so long.

Then again, she had to remind herself that he was a man now, an adult, and she was too. They've both grown and matured over time, past painful experiences and harsh lessons learned.

She smiled warmly and wiped a small tear away that had threatened to spill from the corner of her eye, Ed jumped, narrowing his eyes, voice whiny, "Aww _no_! You ain't gonna start crying again are ya?!"

Immediately, previously emotions and affections that had started brewing up within her for the man currently sitting on her bed, Winry tightened her grip on her wrench and whacked him upside the head, "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"

Ed yelled out in pain.

* * *

 **Hihi, hope you enjoyed a little EdWin for a change! Next up is Greed X Lena! ;)**


	105. A Homunculus Can't be Trusted

**ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Guest:** Hey there, thanks for reading my story here :) Lena is my very own OC I created as a "partner" for Greed (since I ship Lingfan so much ^^).

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** (hums thoughtfully) Hm...I don't know, maybe I've written it wrong. Thanks for the compliment! :)

 **Please enjoy this Greed X Lena one shot!**

 **INFO ON CHAPTER: Set AFTER their first initial meeting where Greed tried kidnapping Mei Chang and BEFORE Mustang and his gang transmute a truck (into a ice cream truck) to get close to the military.** Also, I've had the important parts long written out, I just smoothed it out and added a few details here and there.

* * *

 **A Homunculus Can't be Trusted**

He is severely injured, because of Father injecting a poison into his body that somehow affected Greed's healing abilities, his forearm and right shoulder were injured and he felt a unfamiliar weakness spread through him.

" _Damn...daddy sure knows how to punish when we misbehave huh?"_ Greed growled, fighting against the poison infesting his body and preventing him from activating his shield.

" _You brought this upon yourself! Trying to kidnap Mei and then picking a fight with Lena too! I should skewer you for this!"_ Ling complained loudly amidst the abyss of souls swirling around him, irritated at his counterpart.

Greed panted lightly, sweat beading down the side of his forehead from exhaustion, " _Yeah well...I had a job...before I left them anyway,"_ he growled, gripping at his shoulder tightly.

" _Greed!"_ Ling shouted in alarm and Greed opened his eyes to look ahead.

A whole _mob_ of people was heading straight at him, Greed cursed under his breath, attempting to stand up and make a run for it but his side shot up in pain and he winced, falling back down to the ground on his knee. He had never found himself at the mercy of _humans_ before, he growled, glaring at the incoming mob.

He wished he had his healing powers at least, he knew his body was regenerating, but not at the speed he wanted to. Which meant, as long as he was regenerating, he couldn't put his shield up to protect himself.

What a joy.

Ling kept pestering him to switch, but he shushed him, it would make matters worse, Ling wouldn't have the same healing factor and Greed could take a beating or two more than the prince, at least that's what he kept chanting in his head as the angry mob of shouting people and raised weapons drew nearer.

And just like that, his view was blocked by a figure with a staff-like weapon, the figure was female as far as Greed saw, she had dark brown hair that fell messily just over her shoulders and-

His eyes widened when, instead of turning around to face him and stab at him, she presented her back to him and faced the crowd, her staff, with a deadly-looking blade at the end, held protectively in front of her, in front of _him_.

"What the-?" Greed's eyes widened.

She stepped forth, the woman he remembered as "Lena", whom he fought once or rather where she tried saving the Xingese princess from his grasp, her voice was loud and clear when she spoke, authority lacing her words, "What do you think you are doing to this poor man?" Greed froze, looking up at her questionably.

" _Lena! Oh we are saved!"_ Ling cheered in his head but Greed felt uneasy, what was she _doing_ here?!

Her eyes were narrowed at the crowd, resting her weapon on her shoulder, the blade catching the light and the metal shone eerily with a deadly gleam to it, a few stepped back, but one man stepped forward and shouted angrily, "Step aside! We ain't got any business with you! This bastard is a Homunculus! Homunculi killed my friends! They are nothing but trouble!" everyone shouted out in agreement.

Lena frowned, adjusting her grip on her weapon, "You say Homunculi killed your friends, but this particular one didn't?" she rose an eyebrow in question, standing in front of Greed tall and firm, Greed blinked in surprise.

The man hesitated briefly before his temper flared again, his voice laced with surprise, "Well...no, I don't think so, but his kind still killed them!" the mob shouted out in agreement again and Lena felt her nerves thinning dangerously.

Lena grit her teeth and shouted angrily back, "So that means another Homunculus is responsible for their deaths! Not him! You have no right to harm him if he didn't harm you got that?! Ever heard of equality? Justice? No? I know for a fact that some of my friends work with this guy, the guy who _opposes_ his own kind in order to fight for the good side! He's fighting to protect people like _you_ who don't give a rat's ass about what happens to _him_!" she slammed the heavy metal hilt of her weapon to the ground, the concrete beneath her cracked loudly beneath the force.

She scoffed angrily, glaring at the now wide eyed man, "I would rethink your decisions carefully if I were you,"

The man had the stupid guts to _ask_ , "Or what?" daringly.

Lena frowned, lifting her Quandao and resting the deadly tip lightly against the ground, gaze steady and a small smirk lining her features, "Or you deal with me. If you try to harm this man, I'll _make sure_ to harm you!" her eyes narrowed in warning, she didn't stray from her position in front of Greed, who was too stunned to speak or react in any way.

Bit by bit the mob cleared, but not entirely, some still tried to attack them, so Lena did the only thing she could think of: she hoisted Greed up, supporting half of his weight against herself and ran away from them.

They finally lost them and moved in a alley where they hid and remained quiet until she was sure nobody was chasing after them anymore. She turned to the injured Homunculus, who was leaning against the wall for support and kneeled down next to him.

Lena healed Greed with a bit of Alkahestry Mei had taught her, she mentally praised her friend for teaching her basic healing alchemy, since it definitely came in handy now.

Greed remained silent all the while, staring at her. She cleared her throat and teased, "Some people think its rude to stare, ya know?" she concentrated on healing him, not minding his lack of response.

 _"_ _Oh sweet mother of-! She learned Alkahestry!? That's...amazing. I didn't think she would, Ed said she relied more on close combat than her alchemy..."_ Ling noticed Greed's lack of snarky remarks, " _Greed? You alive? Greed?"_

After she was finished healing him, Greed tested out his shoulder and smirked at Lena, "Gee, thanks for bailing me out of there, you really saved my ass back there-"

Greed froze when she slammed the hilt of her weapon beside his head, her gaze furious, "Just what the hell did you do to invoke their wrath huh? I only defended you because I know Ed and the others trust you, I also know that Ling is still in there, so I think you aren't too much of a bad guy. But tell me, _Homunculus_ , did you hurt any of them?" she fixed him with stare, growling.

Greed met her gaze fearlessly, "No, I didn't. I got injured while running away from the old man. I went through here and the mob started chasing me for no reason, that's all. I think that Gluttony may have had something to do with it, he could be here somewhere," Lena looked at him for a while longer before sighing and removing her weapon.

"Alright, at least you gave me no reason to regret my decision, yet." She placed her weapon down on the ground.

Greed scoffed, "Guess my savior isn't the nicest person out there is she?" he rose an eyebrow.

Lena snorted, " You don't even know me,"

Greed smirked, "You're right, I don't. Hi, I'm Greed, first class bad boy Homunculus and run away son of the worst dad in the world, at your service!" He bowed in his sitting position, taking her hand and kissing it, she rose an eyebrow but made no gesture to hit him, which was a good sign.

"Just what are you doing?" she asked suspiciously, eyebrow nearly reaching her hairline.

The Homunculus seemed mock surprised, "Me? Call it starting over. I get the feeling we got off on the wrong foot," he shrugged and slowly stood up with Lena following suit. He looked down at her calmly.

Lena replied dryly, "I get the feeling that foot is already in the grave," Greed laughed, flashing sharp teeth at her.

"I like ya, got a bit of spark and bark in ya." He eyed her weapon, "Nice choice of weapon too, not my style but it's classy,"

Lena snorted and sighed, "Right, well, my name is Lena, I'm a good friend of Ed and Al. I heard about the incident with the Homunculi so I decided to make a detour and help out," she didn't bother shaking hands with him.

Greed rose an eyebrow, "So, you aren't from here?"

Lena shook her head, "I've been traveling." She offered no further explanation and Greed didn't pry, "So, where are Ed and the others?" she asked him calmly.

Greed scratched his head, "Uh..yeah... ya see, I kinda got separated after the old man got me so...I have no idea. Maybe at Headquarters?"

Lena shook her head doubtfully, "Doubt it, the place would be swarming with enemy soldiers by now," she walked forward, towards the exit of the alley they have been hiding in. When he didn't follow, she looked back, "Are you coming grandpa or not? Don't tell me I have to carry your ass all the way till there?"

Greed was pleasantly surprised by her invitation to follow her and smirked, winking at her, "Ah, so ya like my ass huh? Thanks, I trained it myself," Greed winked again, grinning when she rolled her eyes but a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

 _"_ _As if, asshole, that's_ _ **my ass**_ _!"_ Ling crossed his arms, frowning.

" _We talked about this prince, it's shared land,"_ Ling snorted at Greed's comment.

"Just...try not to drive me insane with your jokes," she seemed playfully irritated and that amused Greed to no end.

Greed chuckled and said casually, "No promises toots," Lena shot him a pointed glare at the pet name, but he just whistled and smirked.

With her weapon in her hand, she started walking ahead, "...And keep your hands to yourself," she warned, fixing him with a sidelong glance.

Greed held his hands up in defense, "I beg your pardon, but I'm not that type of guy sweetheart. That is, only if you want me to be," he grinned saucily and she huffed in annoyance, briskly walking toward the street and Greed followed after her.

 **Part 2? :)**


	106. The beautiful simple things

**Author's NOTE:** Hello mah dear readers! I've awakened from the dead!  
T_T Well, I've had two exams, each 3 hours long, today I had math, a good 50 + pages to write and calculate...yeah...that hadn't been exactly a walk in the park.  
Anyway, **A Homunculus Can't be Trusted Part 2** is currently **under construction** so please be a little bit more patient! :)

I've written this to tide you guys over and since writing acts as sort of therapy for me whenever I'm extremely stressed, which I am, _a lot_. .

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** ^^ Aww thanks so much! :3 There's plenty where that came from! ;)

 **Bob:** Ahh One Piece...one of the many animes of my childhood :3 Yup, I did!

 **Penguin20:** Oh! Thanks! (hugs you tightly right back) haha :)

 **Cassey:** Here's something short with Royai, but I promise I'll include them again! :)

 **HackerSlash:** Uh...hi, I guess? First of, why _in the hell_ are you even reading so many chapters of mine if you aren't satisfied with the way I write? I don't mean to be rude, but there's a reason writers often write " _Don't like, don't read_ " in their author notes. If you learned a thing or two about "being civil" then write a review anytime, but don't give me anymore "crap" about finding a story "shitty" after you read 90 chapters. Please, no offense.

* * *

 **The beautiful simple things**

 _"If you take the time to really look at simple things you will come to realize that they really are beautiful," - unknown_

 _Flowers_

"Colonel, are you drunk?" Riza was already in her pajama's when her phone rang and she got up to answer it, it was two in the morning and she certainly hadn't been in the mood for chit chat.

At least not this kind of chat.

The words were slightly slurred, but not to the extent of leaving the owner of the voice incapacitated by the alcohol intake he had had, " _Not much, no...I don't think so."_

Riza waited patiently for Roy to continue speaking but it seemed like she had to take the first step again, "...Colonel, why are you calling me at this time? Has there been an emergency?"

She made a mental calculation of how long she needed to dress, arm herself and locate him before something bad happened to her superior, after all he was known to attract unwanted attention. Inebriated, he was worse.

" _No...no I don't think so."_ She was about to ask him if his vocabulary has been limited to only these words until he started speaking again, " _Listen...my car is full of flowers,"_ his voice was as serious as if commanding a battalion of soldiers, but the words behind it were utterly ridiculous.

Riza rose an eyebrow, "Flowers?" she briefly contemplated on asking him how in the world he could buy _flowers_ in his state, much less purchase so many that could fill his car if his words were to be taken seriously.

" _...Yes, I recon there's been a kind old lady from whom I purchased them...lilies, magnolias, roses, tulips-"_ before he could count off all the exotic flowers he had bought, Riza stopped him.

"Colonel, I suggest you go home, I doubt you know what you're saying in your current state of mind," she shook her head, worry still tickling at the back of her conscious despite knowing he was alright. He was drunk and a drunk Roy Mustang was as dangerous as a kitten, depending on his state of inebriation of course.

" _Tis no good...I know very well what I'm saying...Lieutenant...do you mind *hiccup* taking the flowers? I don't know what to do with them,"_ Riza's brow twitched.

"...Go home, sir," she was about to hang up when Roy's voice suddenly, magically, turned a bit more sober than it was seconds ago.

" _I'm serious,"_ it made her pause and Riza considered this.

Now what would it look like if she went out in two in the morning only to return with a car full of flowers and a drunk man dressed in military garb at her doorstep? Her neighbors had met Roy a few times and could identify him by sight, no doubt there would be rumors spreading fast.

"Sir...I don't think it's a very good idea, would you please get in your car and go home? I still expect you ready for work in the morning," she didn't bother stressing him to be punctual, he knew the routine.

" _...under one condition,"_ Riza sighed, for what felt like the umpteenth time since starting this conversation, before she replied with a soft "Yes?"

" _...take the flowers-"_ she hung up, placing her phone at her night desk and sighing, throwing herself back on her bed.

Black Hayate whined, looking at his awake owner, who seemed in distress. Riza smiled at him tiredly, "I don't know boy...sometimes I worry for his sanity,"

Her phone flashed and Riza reached out to take it again, finding she had a new message.

When she opened it she rolled her eyes, " _Can you open the door? I don't think I can carry all these flowers by myself,"_

With a exasperated huff and a small smile on her face, Riza covered herself with a robe before she walked to the door to help a certain Colonel of hers to carry all the flowers he had bought, he hadn't been joking when he said his car had been filled with them, her whole apartment was filled by the time they moved the last bouquet of flowers in.

What Riza later found out, each bouquet held a single red rose and in each one, there were small rectangular cards, sloppy handwriting decorating the inside of them.

" _A rose for every time you made me smile,"_

Riza couldn't believe he turned into a romantic when drunk.

* * *

 _Long hugs_

"This is awkward as hell," Ed commented, squirming and trying not to bite the hand off currently tightly wrapped around him as if he were a large, oversized teddy bear.

The blonde older male behind him pouted, "Edward, don't be like that to your old man! I haven't seen you in years and you punched me on our first meeting!" Hohenheim whined, cooing as he ruffled his son's hair affectionately.

Ed growled and swatted at his hands blindly, "Knock it off! I'm not some kid! Argh! Hohenheim!" if he could actually see where he was hitting, he would have punched him in the face.

Alphonse watched in amused perplextion as his father and brother half wrestled, half hugged near the camp fire, Hohenheim grinning and ruffling his older son's hair while Ed looked ready to murder him.

The younger sibling sighed and Greed asked from beside him, "So...are they always like that?" he tilted his head, Ling thinking the same thing apparently as they conversed within their shared mind.

The armored boy nodded affirmatively, "Well...I'm sure if they spend more time with each-other then it can be considered as " _always_ "," Greed nodded silently, watching how father and son quarreled in a admittedly sappy familial fashion.

" _Wanna hug too?"_ Ling piped in with a grin.

" _I promise much pain if you even dare, piss ant,"_ the silent threat prompted Ling to laugh.

* * *

 _Shy smiles_

"Uhm...h-here, these are for you," Alphonse shyly held out the small bouquet of flowers he had handpicked at the back of the Rockbell house, a light pink dusting his cheeks as he shyly handed them to the small Xingese woman in front of him.

Mei blinked, Xiao Mei blinked.

Alphonse was suddenly run over by the small yet fierce weight that slammed against him, knocking him to the ground and crushing the flowers in-between him and Mei, who nuzzled her face into his chest, squealing happily.

The face of the younger Elric deepened into a full on blush, watching how the Xingese princess straightened to look at him in the eyes, a blush covering her own cheeks, "Oh thank you so, so, so much Alphonse! I love them!" she held the slightly crushed flowers in her hands, looking ecstatic at having received such a precious and thoughtful gift from her love interest.

"Ah, you're welcome Mei," Alphonse chuckled, scratching at the back of his neck and giving her a soft, shy smile.

It was that shy yet endearing smile that made Mei's heart beat just a little faster and her mind reel just a bit more.

* * *

 _Starry nights_

"You can finally see the stars from here," Winry commented, gazing into the dark, endless abyss of darkness that was the night sky as lights twinkled above their heads, some bigger and brighter, some smaller and less bright but just as beautiful.

Ed nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I nearly forgot what they looked like," he chuckled to himself, leaning back on his hands to view the small particles made of gas.

Winry smiled from beside him, "I bet you did, travelling to all those places with such polluted air, it's a miracle you even know what stars are," she giggled and Ed chuckled, gently nudging her with his knee.

"Very funny, I happen to know a lot more about them than you gear head. Besides, it's not like I _never_ saw them. Al and I sometimes preferred to sleep outside than in closed rooms and sometimes, we could see a few of them, but..." Ed's look was soft as he said this, "...they never really looked like these. So bright..."

Winry nodded absentmindedly, taking in a deep breath of the fresh slightly crisp night air. It was warm enough to not wear a sweater, but just cold enough to enjoy the fresh air in your lungs.

Ed's deep, soothing voice entered Winry's ears again, "Let's stay like this, just a bit longer," Winry nodded, leaning back a bit to lean gently against Ed's chest as he rested his chin on her head, his expression softening.

She smiled and lightly snuggled against him, "Mhm...let's," they both looked up at the dark sky and they swore one of them grew just a bit brighter.

* * *

 _Signs of love_

"So, when exactly did he confess? _Why_ didn't anybody tell me anything!? He doesn't have the balls to do that!" Paninya crossed her arms, skeptically looking at the duo standing in the kitchen.

She had decided a random visit was in order to her favorite mechanic, as well as that idiot friend-slash-secret-not-so-secret-love-interest Edward Elric. She didn't see the blonde mechanic in a long while and as soon as she set foot inside the house, Winry had insisted on tinkering with her automail since it "desperately" needed a maintenance check.

As far as that necessity had been taken care of, she had met Ed head first. Literally. Her greeting style of the older Elric was unique in its own right, either way a good kick to the face, a head butt or picking his pocket.

Picking his pocket had been the second thing she did, unfortunately all he had on his person was his old State Alchemist pocket watch and she had been quick to give that back, commenting something under the lines of "not much of use since its not in service anymore".

However, when the two childhood friends had retreated to the kitchen to do something, Alphonse had updated her on any important events she had missed.

Apparently she also missed the dense, thick headed Edward Elric finally confessing his more-than-obvious-feelings to Winry.

You can't blame her for seeing a problem in that equation, "Hold it Alphonse...just...how did he even manage to say that without being a walking stuttering disaster?" she rose an eyebrow skeptically.

The younger Elric sighed and shook his head, "Oh, no, I didn't mean that. He never said he loved her," Paninya nearly fell of her stool, clutching the table for support.

"What?! What do you mean he never said he loved her? Then how did he confess?!" did she miss something here?

Alphonse shook his head again, "Just look, he is telling her how much she means to him right now," discreetly, he motioned with his head toward the kitchen.

Paninya strained her eyes to see it.

Winry was having trouble reaching for a plastic container box located at a higher shelf, her fingers just shy of reaching the bottom of it.

Ed's taller frame easily grabbed the container and handed it to Winry, who smiled brightly at him and thanked him. Ed smiled back and nodded, going back on working on the unclogging the sink. Winry had accidentally flushed rice down the drain and now it was all clogged up thanks to the sticky composition the rice was made of, especially when half dried and stuck somewhere in a extremely tight space down the pipe.

"I don't see it," Paninya deadpanned, eyes zeroing in on them but seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

Alphonse rose an eyebrow in confusion, "Try again, here this time, it's Winry," Paninya leaned forward in her chair.

Ed cursed silently when he cut his finger on the sharp edge of the screwdriver he used for the sink, glaring at the small wound inflicted by it, he huffed.

Winry gently took his hand and washed the blood and grime away with running tap water, before she took a bandage she kept stored in a small drawer next to a shelf with cutlery, meant for small emergencies in the kitchen such as these, and wrapped the plaster around the wound, covering the cut and stopping the bleeding.

"Thanks Win," Ed smiled at her and Winry blushed lightly, smiling back.

"You're welcome Ed, just be careful next time okay?" he nodded and got back to work.

Alphonse looked ready to cry, "How adorable, they're growing up so fast..."

"I don't see it," Paninya deadpanned flatly, shaking her head furiously.

"But _how_? They said all they needed!" Alphonse couldn't believe how she didn't see the obvious.

She snorted, "Come on Alphonse! All they did was thank each-other for helping the other and that's that!"

"And that's where you are wrong Paninya," Alphonse chided softly, "There is another way to express love without using words," she tilted her head to the side, thoroughly confused.

He held a finger up as he explained, "Ed shows Winry how he feels by doing small chores for her or things she needs help with, like reaching for, after so many years, higher shelves she can't, helping her with the household or carrying the bags for her. Winry does the same," he nodded to himself, proud of his explanation.

The dark skinned girl still didn't understand," But how can someone know the love each-other just by that alone!? Friends help each-other too!"

Alphonse chuckled, "But it's in the way they look at each-other that's different,"

Indeed, the secret looks both were giving each-other spoke volumes of their feelings, feelings which needn't be voiced aloud.

Feelings they very well could convey through actions. After all, actions speak louder than words, now don't they?

Yup! Very short but I promise I'll try to do better! I don't know when I'll be able to update next, but I hope tomorrow! :) Thanks for reading! **Part 2?**


	107. A Homunculus Can't be Trusted Part 2

Oh my god...MY EXAMS! I FINISHED OVER HALF OF THEM! THE PRACTICAL EXAMS ARE ENDING ON WEDNESDAY! I PASSED ONE OF MY WRITTEN EXAMS! (weird cheering dance commences) I'm so very happy...so very, very happy! FINALLY! T_T :D

 **Update (15. May):**...I'm still happy about passing half of my exams but...eh, I sort of got into **this one-week-maybe-more depression** phase where I'm just...depressed...I put on a smile for my friends and all but... _ugh_. This sounds freakishly emo, but I feel so... _dead inside_ lol. Apologies dear readers, first world problems here .

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Panic:** Hi there buddy. Yeah, I've thought of it too (I also haven't actually watched the 2003 version but bits and pieces here and there, I prefer Brotherhood but that's just my opinion) but I thought maybe showing the differences between the characters would be...convenient? Eh... Ah, thank you :3 I like writing EdWin too, especially since I think that's how me and my boyfriend (...in the far, far away future if ever T_T) would act like them :3 Yeah, I created her with martial arts/spear fighting in mind, but she uses alchemy when she either gets disarmed or doesn't see any other way _but_ to use alchemy. Thanks again for the compliment :) (wipes tear away) Thanks Panic, really, but I get that my writing doesn't appeal to many readers since I'm not all that experienced in good writing and such. But still, thank you :)

 **Lily:** Nah, don't be, I partially ignore it don't worry bout it ;)

 **Penguin20:** Eh...I respect HackerSlashe's opinion even if it's a bit...on the forward side. :)

 **WARNING: OOC Greed up ahead! Not too much but...yeah**

* * *

 **A Homunculus Can't be Trusted Part 2**

"So, got any plan?" Greed chanced a glance at the woman walking beside him, he noted how tense she seemed at his presence.

Lena didn't even look at him, "You'll find out soon enough," was her curt reply and Greed's confidence faltered slightly.

" _Geez, what's up with her anyway? The ladies usually wait in line for me to talk to 'em! Maybe it's your fault! I want my handsome body back!"_ Greed ranted to Ling in their mind, the strongest soul portraying Greed nearly barking at Ling's sitting figure.

Ling sighed heavily, hanging his head down, " _Lena is actually very kind and sweet, but she doesn't really get along with people she doesn't trust...um...and she still thinks you may have something to do with that mob chasing after you,"_ Ling grinned nervously, awaiting Greed's fury.

He wasn't disappointed, " _What the hell?! I told her I did nothing! Why doesn't she believe me?! Urgh, women!"_

Greed snorted loudly, crossing his arms and Lena rose an eyebrow but remained quiet. Greed poked an eye open, looking at her.

Lena felt a bit uncomfortable, she tried hard to ignore him but after several minutes of enduring his stare that was sent from hell itself, she turned around and looked at him, but Greed swiftly turned his head to the other side, pretending to look at the passing buildings. Lena huffed, aggravated, crossing her arms and looking in the other direction.

 _"_ _Um...maybe if I take control she will-"_ Ling offered, before being brutally shut down.

" _SHUT UP PRINCE! I think I can deal with her myself!"_ Greed barked, nearly growling.

 _A few minutes later..._

 _Dead silence._

Greed deduced she was crazy or maybe even a lesbian since she didn't fall for his charms or react positively to his advances.

Well, it didn't hurt to ask, "Do you like women?" Greed asked shamelessly, leaning in to inspect her face better.

Lena turned her head and icily glared at him, "If I tell you I do, will you shut up and stop staring at me?" she rose an eyebrow in question.

Greed huffed, "Hey, hey, hey, I wasn't _staring_ at ya! Women stare at _me_!" he growled, "Besides, I can't take the silence,"

Lena deadpanned, "You have Ling in your head to talk with," she continued walking, a bit amused at his earlier question of her possibly being a lesbian because she didn't respond to his advances.

"Tch, the prince is dumb as shit. Talking to a beautiful lady is far more up my alley," he grinned.

" _I WANT MY BODY BACK YOU STUPID HOMUNCULUS!"_ Ling roared, reacting to the insult about his intelligence and desperately clawing at control. Greed was seen visibly struggling and that made Lena highly amused.

"Seems like Ling didn't take kindly to your compliment," she giggled, grinning widely when Greed shot a exasperated look her way.

"Oh _now_ you laugh?!" Greed groaned, slapping himself to regain control but the prince was too strong at the moment. Damn it!

"Hey Lena! Long time no see my friend!" Ling suddenly greeted her, the same kind closed eyes she had known.

She smiled pleasantly, hugging him briefly, "Hey Ling! Finally I can talk to you! Better than with that grumpy Homunculus anyway," she smiled cheekily.

" _Did she just call me 'grumpy'? DID SHE?!"_ Greed silently fumed to Ling, who only ignored him.

Ling turned serious however when he asked her this, "So, what's the plan? Did Ed tell you anything where he may be?"

Lena frowned, "No, but going over to Resembool is too dangerous, there may be someone following us, maybe one of the Homunculi," Lena glared at her surroundings, suspicion radiating off her in waves.

Ling focused his chi, trying to detect any other potent chi's from around him that could possibly belong to one of the deadly sins, "Hm...I don't sense any at the moment, but you're right. So where are we going then?"

Lena smiled, "We'll check a location I heard Ed once used to hide in, if we don't find him there we'll go to Garfiel, I heard Winry's in town and I wanted to update her on Ed's situation. The midget probably forgot to call her again," she shook her head, smiling as she did so.

"So you and Ed are close?" Ling rose an eyebrow in amusement, a kitten-like smile on his face.

Lena snorted in amusement, chuckling, "Not in the way you think, Ling. We are good friends, we helped each-other out and such. He helped me once on one of my journeys and ever since we kept running into each-other here and there. Besides, I'm rooting for him and Winry to finally grow some balls and confess. I've been keeping tabs on them since I met him a year ago, who knows how many moments they've had before," she couldn't help but grin at that.

 _"_ _Hm...interesting..."_ Greed commented, making Ling nervous at his hidden intentions, " _So, the lady isn't taken huh..."_

 _"_ _As if she would go out with someone with no fashion sense like you!"_ Ling barked, irked by Greed's womanizing attitude.

Greed released a bark of laughter, " _That's why she ain't dating you prince!"_ laughter echoed within the recesses of his mind and Ling growled aloud.

" _WHY WOULD WE EVEN DATE IF WE AREN'T INTERESTED IN-"_

"...Everything ok Ling?" Lena stopped walking and titled her head sideways, looking at him weirdly, one hand on her hip and the other holding her Quandao across her shoulders.

Ling scratched at the back of his neck with a impish smile, "Ahh...yeah...sorry about that...he...he drives me crazy," Ling pointed at himself, or rather at Greed, pathetically.

Lena smirked, "Hm, thought so. I can't even imagine having that guy in my head, I would rather jump off a cliff," she giggled and Ling snickered, feeling Greed's soul shatter.

" _JUMP OF A CLIFF!? Hey! That stupid woman doesn't even know me-"_

"But I suppose he isn't that bad. After all, Ed said once he saved him, so I'm willing to trust him...someday," she winked, smiling as she started walking again.

Greed immediately regained control of Ling's body, jogging after her frantically, "Hey! Sweetheart! Wait up!" Greed grinned.

Lena bristled, shooting him a dark look, "I'm _not_ a candy or your sweetheart!" she huffed, purposefully turning away.

Greed frowned, "Heh, you know I would feel honored, not many ladies get the privilege of catching my attention,"

Lena remarked smartly, "Oh? You mean the attention span of a flea?" she laughed at his dumbstruck expression, her own one softened, "Hey, look. It's not like I got a personal grudge against you or anything, it's just that...well...despite you being in Ling's head and sharing his body and all that, I don't know you,"

Greed considered her answer and looked down at her, "Then get to know me," she froze, startled by the absence of his bravado and flirty tone.

Rather quickly, she started walking again, "Uh, I think we should keep moving," Greed watched her go, wondering just what was going on through her head.

He shook his head, " _Better not dwell on that too long, seems like she doesn't really trust me,"_ he frowned.

Ling snorted, " _You don't say,"_ came the sarcastic remark of the Xingese prince.

 _"_ _Shut up,"_ Greed barked.

They walked in silence for a while and Greed refrained from shooting her curios looks, she was easy on the eye but for some reason he made her feel uncomfortable. Was it _really_ just because she didn't know him? Was it because of him being a Homunculus? Greed shook his head.

"Um, when did...this happen?" he looked at her, mildly surprised she asked him something.

"What?" he rose an eyebrow.

"Your... _situation_ ," she gestured at him and Greed realized she was talking about him sharing a body with Ling.

"A few months back...or has it been a year? Something like that. Yeah well...he wanted to become immortal, so I granted his wish like the good guy I am,"

Ling deadpanned in their mind, " _Actually you were in a vial and that bearded man made me drink you,"_

 _"_ _Hey, hey, don't ruin the moment!"_ Greed wished he could swat at him like this.

"Why you asking?" he shot her a curious look and Lena had the decency to look embarrassed.

"J-just curious," this was the first time he heard her stutter and Greed's curiosity _spiked_.

"Ah," he dug his hands in his pockets, surveying the area around him as they entered some sort of alley, "Hey, where are we going?" he looked around suspiciously.

Lena made a shushing motion with her finger, motioning ahead, "There," she motioned to a sewer opening and Greed rose an eyebrow.

He moved the heavy lid out of the way and Lena went inside first, Greed following suit. Lena grabbed a lighter from her pocket and the soft glow of the lighter showed them the dark, damp sewers of Central, "Romantic," Greed commented dryly and Lena rolled her eyes.

"We're here to meet Ed, not on a date," Greed scoffed at her comment.

"Yeah, this is a place to find him alright," Lena smirked at Greed's comment, walking forward with the lighter in her hands.

She suddenly felt something brushing against her shoulder and lower back and she nearly hit Greed with the end of her staff as she whirled around to glare at him with a fierce blush, "Stop molesting me you pervert!" she tried to ignore how the light accentuated his admittedly handsome features.

Why do the handsome ones have to be jerks?

Greed's eyes widened and he held his hands up in defense, "Oi, oi, I didn't touch you sweets! Now unless you want me to of cou-"

Lena growled and spun back around, marching forward resolutely, "Ugh! Save it! L-let's just go!" Greed blinked at her back, deciding to keep a bit of space between them in case she thought he groped her again.

Women...

Several minutes of walking on the damp cobblestone passed and again, Lena felt something brush against her lower back, this time going even _lower_ -

" _THAT'S IT!_ " she spun around and slammed her staff against Greed's head, a loud echoing sound of metal screeching against metal filled her ears and the tunnels of the sewer as her staff bounced off Greed's ultimate shield covered head harmlessly.

"What the-Hey!" Greed dodged again out of her way.

"You IDIOT! Let me harm you damn it!" Lena swore, swinging at him again but Greed caught her wrist holding her staff and pressed it against the wall, effectively hindering her from swinging at him further.

He positioned his body sideways so he wasn't trapping her against the wall, merely holding her down for his own safety, his violet eyes seemed to glow, "Would ya shut up and listen to me for _one second_? Ask the stupid prince! I did _not_ grope you!" with a frown, Greed released her wrist and turned around, "I may be a bastard of a Homunculus but I don't go groping women around when I feel like it,"

Surprise filled Lena when she realized Greed hadn't even bruised her, not when he lightly pressed her against the wall, not when he caught and held her wrist...a sense of guilt overwhelmed her and she looked at the dark ground, "If you d-didn't do that then...who did?"

Greed turned around, suspicion written all over his face as he moved close to her and pressed his back against her own, activating his shield, "Get ready, I don't think we're alone in here,"

Lena tightened her grip on her Quandao and quietly whispered, "Can you see in the dark?"

Ling's soft voice greeted her, "I can sense chi," that was good enough for her as she pocketed her lighter and complete darkness settled over them.

Lena tensed when she felt a hand on her shoulder and Greed's voice was _far too close_ for comfort, "Relax sweets, I ain't here to hurt you after you saved my ass," the small reassuring squeeze on her shoulder stunned and relaxed her and she nodded, before she remembered he couldn't see.

"Y-yeah..." she swallowed, entirely too high strung after that "groping fiasco" and suddenly facing an enemy in total darkness.

"It's coming our way," Ling's voice informed her quietly again and Lena had no idea how fast they can switch who's in control.

"Dodge left!" Lena did as Ling told her, jumping on her left side and bringing her staff up diagonally in defense.

There was a loud wail of pain and worry shot through her before she realized it wasn't Ling or Greed that released that yell.

She quickly grabbed her lighter and a soft warm glow bathed the space at arm's length in front of her to reveal Greed, holding what appeared to be...

 _"_ _LAZY ASS?!"_ Greed unceremoniously dumped the writhing form of Yoki into the sewer water next to him, rage and disbelief filling his face, "What the _hell_ are you doing here?!"

Lena whacked the weird stranger on the head repeatedly with her staff, "You lech! It's you that groped me you good-for-nothing little-"

Greed quickly grabbed her staff and her other wrist, preventing her from effectively killing the already bleeding man in the water, "Oi, oi, we want him alive when I beat him up!" Lena struggled against Greed almost comically, intent on punching the daylights out of the man.

Yoki rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "Uhm...hello! Nice to meet you-"

"WE'LL SEE HOW NICE IT IS TO MEET ME ONCE I SKEWER YOU ALIVE YOU GROPING BASTARD!" Greed sighed as he struggled to hold the woman at bay, shooting death glares at the cowering man behind him. Greed's face was pressed against her stomach as she tried climbing over him.

"Let me at-woah!" Lena's eyes widened when she was suddenly slung over Greed's broad shoulder, the Homunculus kept a hand firmly on her back so she didn't fall and promptly turned around to regard Yoki.

If looks could kill...

He pointed at the soaked man, "I'm only doing this because you know where the Elrics are at in this stinkhole and because you ain't worth it soiling her pretty hands with your stupid blood," Yoki's soul nearly left him at Greed's blunt threat, falling back into the water.

Lena was covering her flushed face, "C-can I please get down?"

Greed suddenly realized in what manner he was holding her and immediately set her down gently, rubbing the back of his neck as she stared up at him in confusion, "Right..." he turned his attention towards Yoki, "I'm listening," he crossed his arms.

Yoki shivered in fear when Lena shot him a death glare, "T-T-this way! B-but keep her away from me!" when Yoki bypassed Greed, the Homunculus slammed his fist unceremoniously on his head.

"If you had kept your hands to yourself..." Greed rolled his eyes and followed behind the smaller male.

Lena couldn't help but glance at Greed from time to time, remembering how, despite being slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, he still scolded Yoki about groping her despite making passes, admittedly of non physical nature, at her.

"Hey..." Greed turned his head to look at her and Lena blushed in embarrassment, chewing on her bottom lip as she stared at the ground.

"I uh...I'm sorry I..." she forced herself to talk and not stumble over her words, "I'm sorry I accused you of touching me..." she briefly looked up at him, "I trust Ling when he says you aren't bad..."

Greed blinked, " _Hoho...see? That's the first step to trusting you!"_ Ling laughed in his head but Greed ignored him, too stunned to let the words register in his mind.

The Homunculus ran a hand across his neck, "Yeah..." he sent her a sly grin, "So...am I allowed to-"

" _No,"_ Lena shot him a glare but it slowly wobbled into a shaky laugh, pushing at his broad shoulder before she followed after Yoki, who slightly sped up after realizing his _literal_ human shield wasn't between him and his possible executioner anymore.

" _Aw, is the big bad Greed going soft?"_ Ling's irritating sing-song voice snapped him back to attention.

" _Tch, as if I would let myself get swayed by a human,"_ he snorted and followed after them.

Soon enough, Yoki led them through what appeared to be a dead end, he knocked twice on it and scratched on it once, a few minutes passed before the wall of stone suddenly morphed into a solid door.

"Gotta admit, alchemy's neat," Greed commented with a grin as Lena smirked and nodded.

"Yoki! What took you so long? You know that brother gets grumpy when he doesn't eat a sandwich every once and a-?" none other than Alphonse Elric himself opened the door and he immediately spotted Lena next to Greed.

" _Greeling?"_ Greed grit his teeth, annoyance filling him at the _stupid_ nickname the older Elric made up for him, apparently now sweet innocent Alphonse was using it too.

"Oi, it's _Greed_ -"

" _Al?_ " Lena sent him a huge grin, running straight at the armored boy.

"Lena!" Alphonse' jaw dropped before he nearly fell over and laughed as he hugged her in surprise, "What are you doing here? I thought you were somewhere in Liore?"

Greed watched how the two friends rejoiced, Lena smiling again, and again it wasn't because of his influence. Not that he cared anyway.

"What are you doing here? Where's that thick headed brother of yours?" Lena inquired, searching under Al's armored legs.

"Um..." Al meekly pointed to a cross armed Edward standing a little away, a shadow covering his eyes when he noticed Lena was searching _on the ground_ for him.

She blinked, seeming surprised by his growth spurt, "Ed! Oh wow...hey you grew taller! You're as tall as me!" she excitedly went over to him and Ed shot her a dirty look when she compared their identical heights.

Ed scoffed, "Yeah, yeah, save the comments for later," despite turning his head away, he sent her a small grin.

Lena smiled, "I missed you guys," she hugged Ed too and the Fullmetal Alchemist shook his head and enveloped her in a friendly hug as well.

"We missed you too, didn't think you'd show up here though," when he released her, his smile was warm and kind, gesturing to the damp location of their temporary hideout.

Lena grinned, "Heh, thought to drop by after so long, besides I heard there was some trouble and you know I'm a magnet for one," she winked playfully.

Ed smirked, "Tell me about it," he turned to look at Greed and grinned widely, "Oi, it's-"

" _Greed,"_ Greed couldn't have stressed his name enough...

" _Greeling!"_ Ed laughed at the infuriated look on the Homunculus' face.

"Stupid brat..." he muttered under his breath, cursing the blond boy with every swear word he knew.

"Oh, you two know each-other?" Al whipped his head back and forth between Greed and Lena.

"Uh...well...it's a complicated story..." Lena mumbled under her breath.

"Actually, let me tell you," Greed grinned, "A mob was chasing me and wanted my head on a pike for no good reason, I didn't even _do_ anything. Then came this – _lovely_ creature – to my aid and healed me," Greed grinned, revealing sharp teeth, "We had a very romantic moment on our date-"

"That wasn't a DATE!" Lena shouted at the conversing duo, she added as an afterthought, "And we didn't have a _moment_!"

"-and I was the being the perfect gentleman while she doubted my morals-"

"YOU'RE A JERK!" Lena ran a hand down her face.

"-all because of some snot nosed lazy ass groping her in my presence," he sent a _look_ toward poor Yoki, "So in all, she's warming up to me,"

"No, I'm not!" Lena let out a frustrated wail.

Lena nearly let out a surprised yell when she saw what devious expression Al was sporting, "I didn't know you would like Greed so much!" he grinned a innocent, kitten-like smile, "I also didn't think he would be your type, since you like tall, dark haired, handsome...oh wait!" Alphonse suddenly took out a pen and a notepad from nowhere, ticking off things on some sort of list.

Ed drawled dryly, "You can scratch "handsome" off," Greed glowered at him.

Lena slammed a hand to her face, "Why am I surrounded by idiots..." Lena rolled her eyes when Greed slung an arm around her shoulders.

"Relax, sweets, your tall, dark and handsome stud is right here," Greed's grin was devilish and Lena shook her head in exasperation before turning serious as she looked at Ed.

"How does the situation look like now? I've seen the townsfolk on edge lately and sightings of strange attacks and...something _eating_ people," she rose an eyebrow, her eyes searching Ed's.

She still didn't remove Greed's arm, so he made no move to remove it.

"Gluttony..." Ed clenched his fist, "Bradley is a Homunculus too and they're planning to use me, Al and the Colonel as sacrifices for their plan. They want to turn the whole world into a large transmutation circle," Ed's grim expression was met by Lena's disbelieved one.

" _What?!_ Bradley? Damn...and he seemed so cool too!" Lena hung her head down before she realized something, "Wait...how do they plan on making a transmutation circle without the appropriate circles and marks? They can't just carve it into the earth and even if they could, it would take _years_ to finish it,"

Ed's low voice unsettled her and everyone else, "They've been planning this for _years_ ,"

"...Oh..." came Lena's eloquent reply to which Greed tightened his grip on her making her eyes widen comically.

"Tch, as if the old man could get away with that with me still alive and kickin-"

"Why are you still holding onto me for?!" Lena slipped away under Greed's arm and moved closer to Al and Ed, shooting him dirty looks.

" _Told ya she still doesn't trust you,"_ came Ling's comment.

" _Hey! At least she didn't try to kill me like a few hours ago!"_ Greed was starting to get annoyed at the prince's comments.

Ed blinked in confusion, looking at his friend, "Does this remind you of a romance movie?" he whispered to Al, who nodded rapidly.

"Shut up!" Lena punched Ed square in the face.

"Ugh! You're just like Winry with her wrench! Give me a break!" Ed rubbed his nose, mumbling something under his breath about all the "violent women" in his life.

Lena shook her head and Greed couldn't help but notice how he thought up a new name for her.

"Princess badass..." Lena rose an eyebrow and looked at him suspiciously, "Huh?"

Greed shook his head coolly, inspecting his nails, "Nothing,"

Al grinned like a cat.

" _Unbelievable..."_ Ling sat indian-style within the torrent of souls, shaking his head hopelessly at Greed.

* * *

 **Part 2 finished. Yeah...sorry for Greed's OOCness here! . T_T**


	108. Staring back at You

**Summary for this chap:** What would happen if Ling died? If Greed was left with the memories and his body? Ling may not be here anymore but Greed had his body and the memories and that...that was a fate worse than death.

 **WARNING: Angst! Pretty dark!**

 **Inspiration for this:** Please listen to **"Hyperion" by Mark Petrie** , **"Give me a Sign" by Breaking Benjamin** to get a feeling for the sentences written in _cursive (ital.)_ and imagine the voices you imagine who're saying them leave a echo..yeah I'm weird but it leaves a greater impact that way ^^ and...yeah...lol am I in a depressed mood .

 **Staring back at _You_**

* * *

He remembered it. He remembered them _all_.

 _There's neither right nor wrong when it comes to greed._

 _When you get too greedy, it comes back to bite you in the behind._

 _What an idiot, he gave in to greed and lost everything._

He clutched at his pulsing head desperately, head wracked with pain that shot through him like daggers, wounding his very soul.

 _Don't underestimate us humans!_

He roared, nails digging into his scalp painfully as he slammed his head against the concrete underneath him.

He didn't want this. This _pain_.

"Let go of me!" he roared out to whoever heard him, gritting his teeth at the onslaught of pain that threatened to overwhelm his body and soul.

 _I won't allow my father to suck you in too!_

 _Greed!_

" ** _SHUT UP!_** " with a mighty roar he slammed his fist into the hard concrete beneath him, shattering stone with a force that came much too late now.

 _W-Wait! Greed! Didn't you say we would fight together?! Greed!_

He shut his eyes tightly closed, "Damn it...damn it all to hell..." his teeth gnashed painfully against one another, the heart that beat wildly in his chest, the heart that wasn't _his_ , the moisture gathering in his eyes even as he tried to fight off the stubborn, hot tears sliding down his cheeks...

Blood seeped from the small puncture wounds inflicted by his sharp nails digging into his palms, when he opened them, they healed a second later and he watched with a mixture of horror and trepidation how his regenerative abilities healed him.

How they healed his hands. _His_ hands.

A violent shiver wracked his body and he felt bile rise in his throat.

 _Ah well, let me have your body._

He forced the feeling down, forced himself to stand on wobbly legs and walk. Walk into the house that wasn't his, walk through the rooms that didn't belong to him, walk toward the mirror that he never possessed.

And look at _his_ reflection.

Xingese features stared back at him, _haunting_ him.

Lean muscled body, the same friendly face was marred with his own sharper features, violet eyes instead of dark ones greeted him, dark clothes instead of the stupid colorful robes greeted him and he narrowed his eyes when he met his own gaze in the reflection.

The limbs may be responding to his commands, moving how he wanted them to, but they weren't his.

He used to share them, yes, but they were never truly his to begin with.

They had been _his_. _His_ alone and he thought that nobody could ever take something like that from a human.

It seems like he had been wrong.

"Greed?" a soft voice from behind him interrupted his musings, he could see her reflection in the mirror.

It was Lena.

He looked away when she rested a hand on his forearm and squeezed gently, "Hey..."

It wasn't Lan Fan, no, she had stopped visiting him after the incident.

She said she couldn't bear to look upon him and not see _him_. In his place, was him now, Greed.

And he loathed himself for it.

Lena frowned, "Greed...please," she saw his broken expression in the mirror.

"It's my fault..."

 _I want to be rich._

His eyes widened.

 _I want women._

He felt blood pumping furiously in his ears as the world around him froze on the spot.

 _I want to rule the world._

Frighteningly slowly, he looked in the mirror.

Lena wasn't there anymore, he was alone. It was dark, too dark and he felt like a helpless infant who lost his mother.

 _I long to see someone who died._

The eyes of his dead friend stared right back at him, the kind eyes of Ling Yao.

Greed's whole body was rocked with spasms and when he reached a unsteady hand out to try and reach for his friend, the image distorted and left was only the image of haunted, _frightened_ violet eyes, too sharp teeth and a layer of protective carbon that a human shouldn't be capable of producing.

It wasn't _him_.

It was Greed, it was himself and he hated himself for everything that happened.

The mirror broke, shattered shards buried deep into his skin, ruby red liquid dripping down the length of his hands onto the floor, creating a eerie puddle of the life essence.

And when Greed looked at the shattered pieces of broken glass, he stared at himself.

And he screamed.


	109. Wrath the Furious vs Greed the Avariciou

**OPINION?:** should I change the **story title "One Shots"** to something else?  
Opinions? Suggestions?

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** (smiles and blushes) haha, thanks for the compliments buddy really :) and thanks for standing up for me, I appreciate it a lot, but I don't want anyone getting into a fight. I respect their opinions, even if all they write are swear words and exclamation marks, I understand not many people like my writing style or my stories and I learned to be okay with it, since everyone has different tastes and that's okay. I just wish they could be a bit more civil about it, but yeah... Oh! Both of them getting sucked into Father huh? That's an interesting thought, don't worry noted and ready to be explored upon! ;)

* * *

 **Wrath the Furious vs Greed the Avaricious**

It had been the first time they all gazed upon one another and the sin of avarice, Greed, soon learned the other sins were his so called siblings, the Homunculi. The one who created them, the bearded blonde man, insisted they call him "Father".

Greed didn't have many objections, after all, as long as he gets to do what he wanted and sate the ever growing avarice inside him, that was fine by him.

What he didn't like was trying to "get along" with his "siblings". He had been the third one to be created, decades had already passed since then.

As time went by, he found it amusing and ironic that Pride, the oldest and by far most deadly of them, had to pose as a certain "Selim Bradley", the son of the Führer of the country of Amestris, and the Führer himself was played by none other than Wrath, the youngest.

But Father had given them their orders and they followed through them diligently, especially the Pride brat. Greed didn't need to worry about the creepy kid impaling him with his deadly shadows though, he had his Ultimate Shield, and that alone could protect him from any attack.

Then there was Lust the Lascivious, his dear older sister, also called the "Ultimate Spear". As it turned out, her sharp nails couldn't penetrate his shield, but she was crafty enough to perhaps even make him sweat in battle. She was the only female in their group and was easy on the eye, but that was as far as pleasantries got with her. She was cold and calculating, not hesitating to finish off an enemy that was already on their knees. Men were a sore topic for her, joke about her dying a virgin and you would have a ten foot sharp nail imbedded through your skull.

There was also her partner and "watchdog" Gluttony the Voracious, he was one of the ugliest ones and true to his name, weighted like a truck. He was also the dumbest, aside from maybe Sloth. Greed didn't particularly like him, but he also didn't have anything against him as long as he didn't slobber all over him with how often his tongue tended to stick out of his mouth. He got annoyed when Gluttony would complain about being hungry, but that was that.

Sloth the Indolent, was in every sense of the word a lazy ass and dim witted. Ironically enough, he was the fastest of the bunch and the strongest. He had been charged with digging the tunnel that would soon be needed to complete Father's oh so great plan. He may have exchanged all of two words with him, so Greed was indifferent about him.

Pride was a nuisance, simply because his loyalty ran too deep for Greed's tastes and because he would skewer him if he caught wind of Greed's intentions of deserting them and doing his own thing. Though he did notice a change about the brat, that after a few months of playing house with Wrath and that human woman, he had tamed somewhat. He was still as deadly as ever, but he wasn't prone to lash out as often and he insisted on spending time at that mansion than in the presence of Father and the rest of his siblings. Greed had started not detesting him as much when he learned he harbored great familial affections for the woman and even toward Wrath, or King Bradley, as his father.

The most obnoxious, _ugliest_ , noisy and most dumbest being he had ever encountered in his life was Envy the Jealous. The stupid shape shifting, androgynous she-male-whatever was grating on Greed's nerves every opportunity he got. The two often clashed heads and more often than not Greed wanted to simply break his stupid spine and tear out his Stone just to never have to see his stupid face ever again. Unfortunately, he was a key factor in the bearded bastard's plan, so Greed had to restrain himself. Well...Greed the Avaricious and Envy the Jealous weren't that far apart.

Whatever Greed got, Envy got jealous over it, saying he had far too much luxury at his disposal as a Homunculus. While Greed enjoyed his evenings with drinks and women, Envy could only dream of it. And that's where Greed found him to be pitiful, the strong urge to be jealous of anyone, he couldn't have bared it and he was somewhat thankful to be the sin of Greed than any of the others, really.

But Wrath... _oh Wrath_...

He had remembered sporting a tense relationship with the bastard, not quite clashing heads but more often than not had Greed found his senses tingling to cover himself in his shield whenever he was around with that Ultimate Eye of his.

Maybe it was because of the fact that, much later, he had killed his possessions, maybe it was the fact that he killed Fu, Buccaneer, that he nearly killed Lan Fan and foiled their plans on stopping Father's plan.

Or maybe it had been the fact that for once in his life, Greed had felt like Envy: jealous. Jealous of the family, while at the beginning false, he had. The loving wife whom he shared living quarters with and actually harbored romantic feelings, his adopted son may be a Homunculus, but Greed could see that Pride's smiles as Selim weren't as fake as they used to be, they started being genuine when around his "parents".

And he was sick of it.

* * *

"I wonder, when will you learn Greed?" Wrath had approached him one night, casually walking in full regalia toward him as Greed stretched after one of his training sessions.

"Huh? Whatcha saying Wrath?" he turned around quizzically, his senses tingling again to cover himself in his shield but he stubbornly ignored them as the biologically older man approached him with the dark eye patch covering the Ultimate Eye.

He gave a mysterious cheery grin, the grin usually reserved for his "Bradley" persona out in public, "Hm...it seems I've misjudged the time," he nodded once toward him, before turning on his heel and walking away.

"Hey! Wait a damn minute! What the hell do you-" and suddenly, Greed found himself pinned to the floor, twin swords imbedded right near his head on either side of him as he stared up at Wrath, a furious, deadly look in his visible eye.

"You need to learn your place, Greed," the concrete beneath Greed's head cracked a little when Wrath turned the blade imbedded into it, his eyes widened.

"Tch, who are you to tell me where-"

Wrath smiled ominously, "I've seen you shadowing my wife, Greed, as well as Pride. I have no concern that he would protect her should you exploit one of your schemes, however..." the two swords miraculously moved closer to his head, deep jagged holes appearing in the concrete as the durable stone fell prey to the seemingly stronger force of the blades as Wrath dragged them through it, "Threatening them means threatening _me_ ,"

And as quick as it had come, Wrath moved away from him, sheathing his swords back in their holsters as he straightened his uniform and turned his back to the still stunned Greed, "You'd do well to remember that," before he disappeared through the shadows of Father's hideout.

Greed stared, for a minute uncomprehending, before a irritable cackle appeared just behind him.

It was Envy.

"Oh, I see little brother has given you a bit of a spanking has he?" Envy swiftly dodge the onslaught of sharp, deadly claws that missed his throat by a hair's breath, "Now, now, no need to be so hostile, Greed," he grinned sinisterly.

"That was you wasn't it?" Greed growled, standing tall over the little shape shifting midget, "You posed as me and shadowed that woman and Pride so it irritated Wrath huh?"

Envy smirked, "I'm surprised how insightful you can be, considering how narrow minded you usually-" he froze when Greed slammed one claw right beside his ear, blood dripping down onto his neck and down his chest at the damaged appendage and Greed's furious face glaring down at him.

"Listen, _Envy_ , you ain't nothing but a jealous little moron who plays with the lives of others. You don't like humans, I get that, but do you _have_ to set Wrath on me huh?" he closed his claw around Envy's already shredded ear, causing the Homunculus to wince harshly and stare up at him nastily.

"Don't make me transform into my _true form_ Greed-" he began to threaten him but again, the sin of avarice stopped him.

"You mean your pathetic little worm form? Don't think you can fool anyone into believing that _that_ is your true form. It shows just how _weak_ and _pathetic_ you are," Greed released his sibling and shook off the blood dripping down his fingers, turning around and walking away.

"After all, jealousy is an _ugly thing_ ," Greed added icily before disappearing into the depths of their lair with a casual wave of his hand.

Envy stood there, red lighting like-currents healing his torn flesh as he mulled over the words the bastard just told him.

 _"_ _It shows just how weak and pathetic you are,"_

 _"_ _After all, jealousy is an ugly thing,"_

Envy released a scornful cry, eyes wide and furious as he shook with anger and humiliation, staring at the spot Greed had previously occupied.

"I'll kill you, you bastard!" Envy roared, laughing almost maniacally as the shadows of the lair grew darker and larger and his cackles died into the night.

* * *

Images flashed before his mind, _memories_ of his old gang. Bido, Martel, Dolcetto, Roa...all being brutally killed by none other than Wrath.

Anger threatened to consume him at the thought and Greed clenched his fists, " _Greed! Hey, what's wrong?"_ Ling uneasily looked at the chaotic souls turning frantic, corresponding to Greed's slowly rampaging emotions. He felt a tug at his own heart, a sign Greed was in turmoil.

" _Hey, Greed!"_ Ling called out again but to no avail.

"Listen kid, I still got some errands to run so I'll borrow your body for a while longer," Greed commented lowly, shield covering up to his upper arms as he now stood before Bradley's mansion.

" _What the-?! Hey! What do you think you're doing?"_ Ling complained rather loudly in their shared mind, blinking in disbelief when Greed kicked open the door to the mansion and immediately knocked out four guards that had come to apprehend him.

" _You're breaking into the Bradley's house! Greed! Stop this! We'll get in real trouble if-"_

Greed growled, emotions bubbling just beneath his surface as images of his deceased comrades flashed before his mind's eye, Wrath in the middle of it all, slicing them to ribbons, "Shut your trap prince!" he kicked another guard away, his head slamming painfully against a wall.

The Homunculus growled, veins becoming audible running along the sides of his forehead as the images continued to haunt him.

 _Why_ was Wrath there? _Why_ did he kill them?! For what?!

"Arghh!" Greed slammed open the door, knocking out another security guard along the way. And immediately, his shield covered hand met Bradley's sword as the latter brought it up to guard against his attack.

They were locked in a stalemate, a power of strength as they pushed back and forth and Greed's anger only grew.

"Darling!" came the feminine cry of none other than Mrs. Bradley, who was protectively holding Selim behind her as she feared for her husband's safety against the dangerous man that had just invaded their house.

"You and Selim, stay back!" the surprisingly protective edge Wrath's voice took as he told his so called 'family' to stay back amazed Greed, huh...even the furious sin seemed to harbor emotions that were distinctively _human_.

Greed growled, the veins becoming more noticeable, "Maybe you can explain this, _Wrath_ ," he growled, pushing harder, "What the hell is happening to me?!" an image of a happy Martel appeared before him, Dolcetto who had lamely tried flirting with her and getting a punch to the face in the process, then there was Bido who was trying to play chess with Roa and Greed, his old self, who was laughing at the antics of his team.

Then Wrath appeared, plunging his swords into them, tearing them in half, _killing_ them, "Why am I seeing these things?! They keep clawing at the inside of my _skull_!" he pushed harder yet again and Wrath's glare only intensified, realizing what the things Greed was seeing were.

Greed himself knew, it had been his team, his team that had been slaughtered by Wrath.

"And why are _you_ there?!" images of Wrath, how he tortured him and killed him with his twin swords, how he was unable to regenerate due to the swords still stuck inside him, his shield useless until his injuries healed, " _Why_ do I remember _you_ , Bradley?!"

Greed's teeth were bared, openly threatening the man before him, " _Tell me!"_ Bradley narrowed his eyes, rage filling him at the prospect of Greed invading his home and threatening him and scaring his wife like that. Oh he would _pay_.

 _"_ _Why did you destroy my possessions?!"_ Greed's enraged roar provoked Pride to finally unleash his shadows, sensing Wrath just may need his help with this one. Greed was powerful in his own right, but in an enraged state...

The shadows fluidly moved over the book shelf behind him, but Mrs. Bradley, in fright, lightly knocked over a glass of wine that had been on the coffee table, Greed's gaze briefly moved to the sound and that was when Wrath striked.

"You miss your things?" Wrath taunted and yet he couldn't believe Greed's reaction to his memories returning and their deaths. Greed had had playthings, "possessions" as he liked to call his underlings and Wrath had assumed he wouldn't be quite as shaken at their peril. Upset, to a degree, since he had to recruit new underlings, but he never knew there was a deeper connection. The first sword strike, Greed blocked, the second he dodged and rolled out of the way as Wrath followed him.

"Your bullish, pack made of mindless rats? Do you? You treated them like garbage Greed. Quit mourning the past!" Wrath pushed harder against his sword but Greed didn't relent, emotions of rage, confusion and tension high in him. He broke the second stalemate yet again, back flipping in the air just as Bradley's sword shot forward in a cutting strike.

Greed landed over the fireplace, blocking Bradley's downward slash with his ultimate shield covered forearms, swiftly and rapidly dodging the stabbing motions primarily made to his face and neck area.

Wrath knew where to strike the vital parts and he certainly wasn't going to relent when his wife was threatened like that. He could hear her sharp intake of breath, even amidst the battle, how fearful she was of his safety and unknowing of his real identity.

Greed grew frustrated, parrying blow after blow and finally, while blocking the sword with his forearm, Greed shattered it with his fist, sending the blade flying and crashing against hard wood as it shattered into metal splinters.

He jumped over Bradley, somersaulting mid-air and landing on all fours, looking back to see Bradley flinging his broken sword at him, hitting the wall as Greed jumped away from the line of fire.

" _Greed!"_ he stubbornly ignored Ling's voice, whose been in a panic ever since the fight began.

Bradley advanced upon him, furious eye shining a ominous red as the sword aimed at him, Greed slamming painfully against a corner as Wrath sliced a part of his clothing.

Renewed anger bubbled inside of him and before Wrath could bring the sword down, Greed used his strength to kicked the blade away with his feet, momentarily stunning Wrath with the act.

He watched the sword in mid-air before taking another course of action and grabbing Greed by his jacket and his neck, flinging him straight at the coffee table and the whisky that was on it, shattering it to pieces under his weight.

Quickly, Bradley grabbed the sword and slammed his feet on either side of Greed's wrists, pinning him effectively to the floor. Killing intent was reflected in both of their eyes, but Bradley was pretty sure who would win the fight this time.

He aimed for the neck again, a brief memory of his last battle where he fought Greed's first reincarnation flashing in his mind as he brought down his sword with ferocious fluidity and power.

Bradley saw the sword shatter in half again, the familiar dark substance of Greed's shield covering his neck just in time when blade was about to meet tender skin and slice his head off. Again, another memory, the first Greed impaled on the neck by two swords, his regenerative abilities struggling to close the gaping wounds where his swords had been imbedded and his shield useless.

Another memory of his brief, but exhilarating fight with the prince of Xing, Ling Yao. He had been a formidable swordsman, truly parrying and fighting on equal ground with Wrath himself almost, not to mention fleeing from Gluttony's jaws as well at that time.

Greed used the distraction to free himself from Wrath's slackened hold, shattering glass as he jumped through the window and disappeared into the night, Wrath watching him go with a mixture of trepidation and fascination.

He barely acknowledged the security guard that had spilled apologies and asked if they were alright, he stared at the broken blade in his hand, narrowing his eyes.

" _Greed, huh? You dumb fool..."_ were his last thoughts before he turned around to check on his wife and son.

* * *

Greed snorted, staring down at the man in uniform that had so easily managed to overpower him and his gang, "So, who's the new addition to the family?"

He introduced himself formally, "I'm Wrath the Furious," he needed to say no more, Greed's sharp whistle pierced the air.

"Wrath huh?" Greed turned to look at the rest of his siblings, dangling down the log of wood he had been forcefully tied into, four swords piercing every focal point of his Homunculus body.

Lust smiled, "Father created him for the final stage of the plan," Greed frowned, perplexed.

"...A Homunculus that can age?" he frowned, looking at his array of siblings. " _Something's not right, that can't be,"_ he thought with a unpleasant taste gathering in his mouth; blood. "But that's impossible,"

The evil cackle of none other than Envy the Jealous made him glare down at the pathetic vermin of a brother, sitting on some tubes resting on the ground.

"Oh really? I thought nothing was impossible, you used to toss that one around like it was your catchphrase. You change your mind or something?" Envy grinned hauntingly up at him.

Greed rolled his eyes, "Shut your trap, _ugly_ ," the word seemed to echo as Envy's face twisted into a expression of pure rage, jumping to his feet and feeling the strong urge to transform and rip the imbecile into shreds.

"Oho, now _that's_ a scary face, go on and let it out! Why don't you show us what you _really_ look like you hideous beast?!" Greed laughed, delighted at the aggressive stance he took and the look of pure rage on his face.

" _You scum!_ " red electric-like currents danced around Envy's body, his back seeming to grow just a bit broader, violet eyes slanting dangerously, "Call me that again and I'll-"

"Stop your nonsense, both of you," Father's voice rang out and immediately, the bickering ceased. Greed's expression grew one of concern as he glanced over at the pale figure sitting at the chair, styled like an old throne, "It's time to resolve this sibling rivalry," both Envy and Greed grunted, eyes narrowed and trepidation setting in.

Wrath frowned, not quite knowing what to expect from the man that had created him. He was the youngest Homunculus and Father hadn't intimidated him or shown disdain, but that didn't mean the rest of his children didn't suffer that side of his.

He watched as Father mercilessly let Greed sink into a container filled with molten hot lava, he heard the rebellious Homunculus scream and shout, taunting them and joking about while being fried alive.

Mixed feelings settled in the pit of his stomach and it seemed that his sister Lust picked up on them, watching him. He schooled his features into a stone faced look, nodding in her direction before strolling out of this place, back towards where he knew his family was waiting for him.

* * *

He had never fully analyzed Greed's character, he never fully understood him.

He had rebelled against Father and the other Homunculi to do his own thing and not follow orders, only following his own rules. He had been reincarnated into a human named Ling Yao after Father had absorbed him again.

Since then, he had drastically changed.

Caring for the humans, possessions as he called them, protecting them like he _cared_. And unfortunately, Wrath knew exactly what he felt toward them.

He had them too. A loving wife, his _own_ choice, a son, Pride may pose as Selim Bradley, but both of them had learned that, despite being Homunculi, they held mutual affections for the woman as well as for each-other, something some could even describe as "father-son-relationship".

It may be stretching it a little, but nevertheless, Wrath knew that they could imagine a life free of Father and the rest of the Homunculi, life led how they saw fit with the woman that had won over their hearts and brought out their more human sides.

And as Wrath had died that day, on the Promised Day, by the hand of a man only known as "Scar", a nameless warrior similar to himself, he realized something.

As much as he disliked the Homunculi, Greed had been the one to understand him. He reluctantly admitted that as he passed away.

And when Greed had found the now lifeless body of Wrath resting almost peacefully on the ground, blood soaking his clothes and a small smile on his face, he frowned.

He wasn't sad that the bastard was dead, he was the one that had killed old man Fu after all. But he felt a twinge of what he later came to realize was remorse, both had been in the same position.

Human-based Homunculi who had the privilege of discovering their more human nature the more time they spent with them, in their own way.

Greed closed his eyes and bowed his head, not praying, not mourning for Wrath's deceased soul, but acknowledging that...in some twisted way...

They understood each-other.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the read!


	110. Gentle Death

**ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** haha thanks a lot! :) I also really like the idea of Homunculi being, in one way or another, just like humans or at least capable of feeling human emotions. I'm definitely thinking of writing future fics like that. That's okay, I'm not too adept at names as well, who knows maybe I won't change it, it's just a thought really :)

 **Lily:** Really? Congrats! :) Good luck!

 **Panic:** Thanks :) Yeah, I didn't want to write how Lena was "completely" cold to him the first time they met, though her attraction (for now) borders more on "reluctant acceptance because Ling is sharing a body with him" and "damn...I don't know him and I don't know if I can trust him but he's hot" lol. Yup, something along those lines ;) hahaha Thank you, the reason I wrote it was from this tiny little scene: the scene where when Wrath died after his battle with Scar, Greed had such a...not quite sad expression but it interested me enough, so I thought to search it up and see what other fans thought of it, but I had no luck :P I like to think despite not liking Wrath, he _had_ felt _something_ when he died, Greed's expression got me thinking ^^ Ah, oh that, damn it I knew I should've written a short explanation. Uh, I'm really sorry about that, I hadn't meant Ling was panicking because Greed was fighting Wrath, as in he was afraid of him, I wrote it so Ling was panicking because of Greed's unstable emotional state and since he had fought Wrath before, he knew how powerful he was and he was concerned for Greed's safety. He had been panicking on trying to get Greed away from there because he knew Greed wouldn't be able to fight or win in his condition. Hehe, thanks for the really nice compliments! :3 You made my day buddy! :) P.S: sorry for the damn long reply .

* * *

 **Gentle Death**

Death was a part of life, even though many people like to contradict that statement.

Death was meant to be the end of life and yet many people move on after their dear ones have passed, so essentially, death would be considered a part of life, right?

People don't choose how they die and many wish to cheat death or find a way to become immortal. No matter the sacrifice if it means longevity.

But that's not the case with them...

* * *

"You killed me and I hate losing." Her eyes, slowly turning dull, remained fixed on the man whose flames engulfed her and burned at her flesh and stone, "But there are worse ways to die than at the hands of a man like you. I love how cold and focused your eyes are."

She closed her own eyes, imagining a look of despair crossing those same dark, calculating eyes of the man that had killed her, "I look forward to the day when those eyes will be wide with agony."

He said nothing, only observed how the Homunculus perished before his eyes, her body turning to dust and her Philosopher's Stone vanishing with the wind.

It was over. The battle was over.

And yet, a voice which suspiciously sounded like the woman he had just killed, echoed in his ears ominously, " _It's coming. It's coming..."_ it said.

The small smile that was on her face remained even in the afterlife, even when her soul descended upon what humans call the 'Gates of Truth', but she wasn't afraid.

Why should she? She was a Homunculus, a dead one too and there was nothing the ultimate being could possibly take from her that she already hadn't lost.

So she surrendered herself willingly as the white, feminine form of what she perceived to be Truth grinned at her, beckoning her to it with a finger.

"You must be Lust the Lascivious," Truth commented, a female voice instead of male.

Lust smiled, "I was," she looked up at a white sky, "I used to be," she looked down again to look at his face or where it was supposed to be, "I never will be again,"

"You desired to be human, correct?" the creature knew her well it seemed.

Lust said nothing, she didn't need to.

Truth grinned, "Aye...so it is. I'm sorry to say I can't punish you for the many sins you've committed, since you're the sin itself," she laughed maniacally but Lust remained calm, "Will you be missed?" she rose a invisible eyebrow in question.

Lust chuckled softly, "I have no one but my brethren and even they will perish soon too," she looked away with a smile.

"And why do you think that?" Truth asked, a knowing grin on her face.

Lust smiled calmly, "Because, there is a thing we lack that humans possess...and that will be our downfall," she ran a finger over her forearm, "It's strange...how I thought humans to be foolish creatures, repeating the same mistakes over millennia..." she lifted her head to gaze at Truth, "The truth was...we have never truly evolved and moved on, the seven deadly sins of humanity..."

Truth tilted her head, smiling, "Do you feel remorse for your death, Lust?"

The Homunculus shook her head, "No, I have died mercifully, considering my ample record of sins," she smirked slightly.

Truth frowned, "Are you happy that you died?"

Lust smiled almost warmly, a calm, soft look in her eyes, "Yes..."

Her death had been a merciful one, she knew, the sensation of being swallowed by the cruel, burning hot flames of Roy Mustang, his deep anger manifested into his flame alchemy and she had heard its whispers.

" _How dare you touch my irreplaceable Lieutenant?"_

And she had chuckled, faced with her opponent, the man that would kill her. He did not experience joy at the thought of killing her, did not smirk or laugh when her Stone had been depleted and life burned from her eyes, he just watched.

Watched how her body dissolved, her pride and dignity stripped, her Stone shattered...

Yes...her death had been a gentle one, not for its circumstances, but for the fact that her opponent hadn't rejoiced in glee when she had died.

She hadn't deserved even that much.

* * *

There was a small, gentle smile on his face, warm and calm as the sun was setting, passing over the horizon behind a few lines of trees, bathing the sky in a mix of orange, yellow, a bit of red and washed over by the darker colors of the night.

Even when the sun's rays left him, his smile didn't waver.

"Trisha...my dear..." he whispered, lifting a weary hand to stroke at the cold stone that was her grave.

He had gathered the most beautiful flowers he could find on his way here and placed them delicately upon her grave, that small service, he could still give her before he said farewell to this world once and for all.

He had lived far beyond himself, watched how time after time, the friends he had made had all died before him and that was the reason that, after so many years and he had settled down with Trisha and their sons, he left.

He left because he had been a coward.

He chuckled lowly. Yes...a coward indeed.

Leaving her alone to care for their sons, he left on a journey to stop the Dwarf's plan from becoming a reality, but still, he had ran away.

What was it that he told Edward?

Ah yes...

 _You didn't want to look at it. You wanted to escape from your unpleasant memories. You wanted to hide the traces of what you committed._

 _Just like a child hiding the sheets when he wets the bed._

 _You ran away, Edward._

He hung his head, chuckling quietly to himself, "In the end, it was me that ran away..." he whispered, only the wind hearing his reprimand.

And for what?

For the dumb reason of not wanting to watch his family, his very own flesh and blood, die before he did, watching them grow old and die, perhaps of a disease or of old age, none of the reasons for which he could die anyway.

It had been a fulfilling life to be sure, but it had really made sense only when he had met Trisha. When he courted her, spent time with her, wedded her and when she brought their two sons into this imperfect world...that had been his reason to enjoy life to the fullest, even if he was near to immortal.

He watched his sons grow, watched the gentle smile she had every morning when she made breakfast and she would tease him gently for not knowing how to cook, watched how Alphonse would follow his older brother wherever he went, even if he went on one of his "adventures".

He watched how cute they were as toddlers, crawling here and there, stretching their little arms out so either him or Trisha could carry them, watched how they played together, or when they would quietly enter his study and carefully look at the various books he had.

He remembered vividly, how one night, when he was immersed in his studies to become mortal again, little Edward and Alphonse had stumbled quietly into his study, not wishing to disturb him and had cautiously taken a look at his books.

He remembered that, when he had turned around to see what they were doing, they had recoiled away from the books, as if he had forbidden them from touching them. He had only chuckled at their antics and had beckoned them to him one night, each settled carefully in his lap and he had opened one of his easier books about basic alchemy, ones which were the very first he had read about in order to study alchemy more.

They were curious creatures, always asking, listening attentively and his heart had swelled with pride and warmth at the elated look on their faces as they absorbed knowledge like a sponge did water.

He remembered how disappointed they had been when it was bedtime and Trisha had called them all up on going to bed or they wouldn't eat her famous stew tomorrow.

He chuckled at the precious memory, despite living for decades already, his head and soul filled with faces, voices, memories...

Those he shared with Trisha and the boys had been his most prominent and his most precious he ever had.

Hohenheim closed his eyes, "I'll be joining you shortly, my dear," he smiled, warm, carefree, _alive_.

Edward and Alphonse would be alright, they were surrounded with wonderful people that would look after them, they didn't need him.

Hohenheim smiled and felt everything catching up to him, his skin shifted, his heart slowed, his lungs ceased to function.

And he stilled.

And he was free.

* * *

Death comes in many forms, some cruel, others not.

Some believe sinners were sent to the darkest pits of Hell, to Satan. Others say good people were sent to Heaven and were rewarded for their good deeds.

But what if...none of it was necessarily... _true_? What if there _was_ no heaven or hell? God or Satan? Angel or demon? Even if those things weren't true, there _was_ one thing that was true.

There were things like life and death.

All you can do is live life to the fullest and hope your death will be a peaceful one.

(bows) I thank thee for your attention! :)


	111. The Family I never had

**A NOTICE FOR THE MANCHESTER INCIDENT:**

Now I know people come here to read fiction and distance themselves from the real world because it often closes in on us and makes life hard, but in this case, and in the many cases where bombings had taken place and people lost their lives, I just want to say how despite casualties happening and a lot of people struck with fear, _no one_ should feel like hiding away at home and never coming out again. Terrorists can never be powerful if they can't control the people and strike fear in society, something that no self respecting country will stand for. Terrorists may wreak mayhem and take innocent lives, but they're stripped of power the moment they realize that nothing of what they do will change the way the people will continue on living and fighting for themselves and others. That's all.

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** I had wondered about it from time to time and finally found the right mood to write it ^^ What? Really? I read the manga but haven't seen that at the end, was that a bonus/special scene? Since in the manga it's similar to Brotherhood (with minor alterations ofc).

 **Lily:** Thanks a bunch :)

* * *

 **The Family I never had**

Greed chuckled, listening to the delighted, playful giggles bubbling out of the mouth of his little niece, "Aw, look at those legs, look at 'em. Hehe, yeah you'll be the coolest baby this town has ever seen!" he grinned widely, making little Nanami giggle and stretch her little arms out to him.

The Homunculus chuckled, "Wanna go for a walk eh?" he stood up and buckled up what he personally dubbed as "baby transporter" on his back, it was some sort of a baby carrier sling thingy, it looked like holsters for swords as he fasted the buckles on the front and carefully lifted Nanami and eased her into the straps, expertly buckling her in place and double checking the buckles to make sure she was secure and wouldn't fall off.

He gently petted her head, "Heh, lucky little girl, getting spoiled and carried like a princess," he rubbed his nose with hers and the little infant laughed and grabbed at his face, making his laugh wickedly at the adorable buddle before him.

"Oh I'll spoil ya rotten kid, I'll spoil ya rotten," with one hand resting on her back protectively, Greed exited the palace grounds and started walking out into the fresh air, letting the sun hit his face.

He sighed, it was peaceful, quiet, something he appreciated each day more and more ever since Lan Fan and Ling had gotten Kiba and then Nanami following two years later.

Kiba had been a rascal, Greed had often smugly joked some of his genes had something to do with it as well, only to get smacked by Ling, since Kiba had been a real screamer as an infant.

The kid would start screaming at random intervals in the middle of the night and sometimes, both Lan Fan and Ling would be too exhausted as they wobbled their way into Kiba's room, only to be greeted with a softly singing Homunculus and Kiba slowly starting to calm down and fall asleep in said Homunculus' arms.

Needless to say Ling had been greeted, more often than not, at random sights as he saw Greed scrolling through what looked like "cook books" and "20 ways to raise a badass baby" books in his spare time, in between sparring, training, helping Ling with some of his meetings as his right hand and taking care of Nanami and Kiba.

Ever since the kids had come into their life, Greed's character had changed quite a bit. Ling didn't know if that wouldn't have happened if the kids wouldn't be around or if Greed was trying to become a better man for his niece and nephew, as the self proclaimed uncle once admitted.

 _I may be a Homunculus, the last one alive, but those kids don't need to see that old side of me._

Ling had understood him, but still, he had told him countless of times he didn't need to change so drastically, that he could do it step by step.

Greed had just laughed and told him to shut up as he shoved a fist in his face. That was Greed for you.

Even after Marcoh had somehow managed to separate Greed from Ling, contrary to what Marcoh himself believed, namely that Greed would need a host for his powerful soul, Greed had actually looked identical to Ling even after their separation.

Marcoh had researched it extensively and after a few months theorized that Greed must have taken a portion of Ling's genes with him and that that may have just been enough to provide him with a host. Ed and Al have argued that wasn't quite equivalent exchange, but then again, they themselves were searching for new ways to create a new law for alchemy.

Greed still didn't know how that had been possible, maybe it had just been the Stone's unexplainable power, but either way, it didn't bug him all that much. He may miss his more handsome face every now and then, but he learned to live with Ling's features. He chuckled, no doubt Ling would smack him if he knew his thoughts right now.

"Uncle Gweed! Uncle Gweed!" the voice of none other than Kiba entered his ears and Greed carefully turned around, Nanami immediately stretching her little arms out to her little brother, who tripped over his own feet multiple times before reaching the Homunculus.

"Hey there little man," Greed still found it astounding how Kiba effortlessly took his hand, without fear, trepidation or any caution. The little toddler had, much to the amusement of his mother, taken to calling Greed his father's twin and he thought that whatever he said to Greed, Ling would automatically know and the three had taken to playing a game.

Whenever Kiba would whisper something to Greed and Ling would enter the room just a few moments after, Kiba would run up to his father and clumsily ask him if he remembered what he just whispered to him. Such moments would always end in Greed laughing his ass off and Lan Fan trying hard to suppress her laughter at Ling's flabbergasted look.

It offered a source of the many little entertainments in the busy palace and eased Ling and Lan Fan's worries when they would return in their private abode and be greeted with Greed and the children.

Greed chuckled when Kiba asked him, "Uncle Gweed, where we goin'?" he grinned easily at him.

Kiba had the habit of imitating Greed's sometimes slouchy speaking manner, much to Ling's chagrin, but he just found it cute, "Just walking around," he smiled gently and squeezed the much smaller hand holding his own, getting a excited laugh from the little boy of two years in turn.

Ling watched from his perch on a tree, royal robes discarded for his casual ones as he watched the Homunculus interact with his children. He chuckled when little Nanami shifted and fisted her tiny fists into the material of Greed's dark shirt, making the Homunculus nearly swoon at the sight.

Ling himself felt his heart jump at how adorable his children were, Lan Fan truly was amazing to give birth to such wonderful beings _and_ start training only a few months after. Ling had constantly reprimanded her for her efforts, saying she had plenty of time for rest, she was on maternity leave after all, but she had swept aside his worries, telling him she had a duty to protect him and the other clans.

Ling's newly proclaimed policies and laws in Xing have been, for the most part, positively received, even from the elders. He had great support in abolishing the concubine system, rebuilding streets, shabby alleys and houses as well as building new facilities for medical purposes, teaching Alkahestry and a few orphanages for the children whose parents had been killed in the wars Xing had been involved with.

All in all, Xing was starting to grow as a country, the desert has stopped becoming such a great obstacle to travelers wanting to explore the different culture of Xing, Mustang had agreed on trading routes between Amestris and Xing, forming a strong bond between the West and the East.

Lan Fan had even allowed him public displays of affections here and there, but she still quite flustered and shy when Ling kissed her cheek, held her hand or swept her away somewhere for some much needed kisses away from prying eyes.

The worst part was, Greed would always mercilessly tease them with saucy remarks, even while Ling was attending important meetings, he would send him knowing looks, dirty grins or would wink whenever Lan Fan would be in the vicinity.

The woman was thankful for her mask, that way she was spared from the embarrassment of exposing her flaming red face to both her husband and the sneaky Homunculus that loved annoying the living daylights out of them.

Things had been going good for Lan Fan as well, after the initial crisis of becoming a mother, reading countless of cook books, parents guides and what not, she had slowly along with Ling adapted to life being a parent and fulfilling her duties to Xing.

It was true, some of her decisions were dictated by the presence of her children such as doing risky missions alone, in the past, she wouldn't have a problem with it, but nowadays she would always leave with a partner or Greed. Ever since becoming a mother and starting training again, Greed had watched her like a hawk at times, the Homunculus defended himself by saying Ling had forced him to, but she knew Greed himself was worried over her and loved the children like a big, scary, overprotective uncle would.

She didn't mind that in the slightest though. She just wished that when the kids grew older, Greed wouldn't stop being more polite, she almost wished he would permanently drop his foul mouth but then he wouldn't be Greed.

Greed felt the powerful aura of chi behind him, a handy little ability Lan Fan taught him and smiled. Heh, he was the same idiot as before, just older and with a better sense of style after Greed had given him a bashing (in truth, it had been Lan Fan but he liked to credit his own influence).

Ling's expression softened and he shook his head fondly, sensing his wife approaching him, looking at him from the balcony in amusement. Ling lifted a finger to his lips, motioning with his head at the trio walking toward the pond in their private garden.

Lan Fan smiled at the scene, a fond, soft smile on her face as she replayed the events that had led them to this moment, some sad, others more enjoyable.

She realized Greed had been playing a key role in weakening Father and had almost died as a result. Ed and Mustang had intervened just in time, Ed kicking Father away and Mustang creating a wall of fire that separated them from him while both Greed and Ling recovered.

She moved her gaze toward the small grave situated at place under the large tree providing shade, decorated with flowers, Fu's grave, her grandfather's grave. Lan Fan bowed her head in greeting and she smiled when she looked at the sky and the warm breeze blew in her face as if greeting her in turn.

Greed couldn't help but smile like a fool as he watched Kiba curiously explore the pond, he himself moved closer when Nanami started squirming, wanting to feel the water too.

" _Damn...getting soft like this...a few years back, I wouldn't be caught dead playing with kids like this and playing house with a piss ant like Ling and Lan Fan and all that..."_ he looked at the couple watching him from the corner of his eye, unaware of his knowing gaze, " _Tch, those idiots, I guess some things won't change,"_

He was glad for that small comfort.

 **Next chap? :) NOTE:** the crossover with FMA:B and Attack on Titan will be written in about two weeks, I haven't watched AOT yet I'm sorry for the delay! .


	112. Threats and Innuendos

...Don't ask...this has been one of my more random one shots . I regret nothing!

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** Hm...yeah maybe, then again on some websites, those extra chapters aren't shown sometimes so yeah..I don't know maybe its that. :P But I'll search it!

 **Inspiration:** Sitting at home and suffering from tooth ache because of my braces _really_ gets your random fantasy going...

* * *

 **Threats and Innuendos**

 _Looks like I can get you on your knees after all! – Roy Mustang_

Riza glared in mild mortification at none other than Roy Mustang, who seemed to shrink back into his seat, "Was that in the script?"

"Would I have said it had it not been in the script?!" Roy barked at her, feeling mortified.

Lust crossed her arms, "Well, that certainly seems interesting," her smirk was nothing less than provocative.

"Oh god..." Roy buried his face in his hands and the two women smirked and high fived.

* * *

 _Sounds like a cautionary tale about guns... – Edward Elric_

Winry's eye twitched in annoyance, wrench in hand and at the ready as the nervous looking Edward Elric sweated buckets beside her.

"...I got overwhelmed okay?" Ed defended himself lamely, rubbing at his face and groaning.

"... _Eating your sandwich in peace?!"_ Winry growled at the lame excuse for being in her room as shown in the current episode.

"... _There were strangers with guns all over the place!_ Your room was the only empty one!" Ed raised his hands in self defense when Winry lifted her wrench and whacked him upside the head with it.

* * *

 _Come on, this is a contest of freaks! And I'm as normal as they come! – Maes Hughes_

Hughes sat with one leg propped over the other, nodding his head vigorously at hearing his own voice sound from the TV, "That's right folks!" he shouted for good measure, causing his best friend to roll his eyes.

"Hughes...you could have at least covered us with firearms..." he deadpanned, causing Hughes to look at him incredulously.

"Why I never-! Firearms?! And you think tiny, little round balls made of _lead_ and puny _metal_ have a chance at winning against crazy _monsters_? You're _insane_!" he huffed, crossing his arms and sulking like a child.

Roy sighed, shaking his head in exasperation.

* * *

 _Tch, you're kindness in a can. – Edward Elric_

Alphonse had tears running down his face as he heard those rare, kind words leaving his brother's mouth, "Oh brother!" he flung himself at the stunned blond, causing the elder Elric to try and pry him off.

"Knock it off Al!" he whined, sighing loudly when his brother started hugging and cuddling him.

* * *

 _My right hand is the judgment of god! - Scar_

Edward and Alphonse burst into hysterical laughter at the sentence they heard on TV, clutching at their stomachs while the dark skinned man behind them could only glare in irritation at the laughing teens.

"Just what is so funny?" Scar's eye twitched in annoyance.

Ed slapped his knee, laughing and wheezing, "Oh man, that was great! Did you hear that Al? _Judgment of god!_ Ha! More like path of destruction!" he fell on his back, in time to evade the swipe of a massive, tattooed hand aimed for his head just as Scar wanted to bash him.

* * *

 _Okay, here's the plan, we go in, start hitting people and see where it takes us. – Maes Hughes_

Both Roy and Riza stared at Hughes, who pretended to read the newspaper.

Several moments passed and Hughes gave the two a quick glance, "...What?" he dropped the newspaper altogether to stare at them, "...back then I thought it to be the best plan to take..."

Silence.

"...Nobody had a better plan than me!" Hughes whined.

Silence.

"Alright, alright, next time Hawkeye does the planning, _I get it_!" Hughes huffed and crossed his arms, turning around. Roy and Riza shared a look, before shaking their heads at their friend.

* * *

 _Would ya look at that? That's the same tub I took a bath in! Now it's your turn daddy! - Greed_

He felt all the stares from all angles and Greed tried to ignore them until he finally barked at all of them, "Would ya close your gaping mouths and stop staring at me?! It seemed cool _before_ I got almost fried by molten hot lava – _again_!" he bristled, crossing his arms and huffing.

"Oh Greed..." Ed shook his head, sighing.

Sometimes, he overdid it with the "cool" phrases.

* * *

 _Hey! Thanks for saving my ass back there! - Greed_

 _I wasn't saving your ass, I was saving the body of the young lord! - Fu_

 _Well, it's the same ass! - Greed_

Both Greed and Fu refused to look at each-other, opting instead to stare grumpily at opposite sides of the wall.

Lan Fan blinked in astonishment and curiosity, looking between the two men and replaying the scene again and again.

* * *

 _Even a piece of garbage has its pride. – Roy Mustang_

"Truer words have never been spoken," Ed clapped Mustang on the back grinning widely, "Especially if it's about yourself!" Ed quickly evaded the small flicker of flame aimed his way, narrowly missing it as Mustang shot to his feet and attempted to commit murder.

That may look funny in his documents later on...the Führer killing a insolent little brat...huh...

* * *

 _Don't get too serious or your makeup will be ruined, madam. – Roy Mustang_

Grumman snickered and patted Roy's shoulder, "I've never gotten over the fact you giving me makeup tips Roy," he laughed at the semi embarrassed, semi mortified expression on the youth's face as he buried his face in his hands.

"Please...let's never speak of this again," he raised his head ever so slowly, "Not to mention seeing you in women's clothing...not ever again,"

Grumman only laughed.

* * *

 _ALL FEMALE OFFICERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR TINY MINISKIRTS! – Roy Mustang_

 _You're a miracle Mustang! I'll follow you for the rest of my life! – Jean Havoc_

Riza sighed again, watching the familiar scene playing on the TV, Roy and Havoc currently holding hands and crying from beside her on the couch.

She stood up, ignoring the two bawling grown men, smiling at the scorched navy blue miniskirt deposited in the trash can, now all but a pile of ashes.

Sometimes, being the wife of the Führer and a Flame Alchemist had its advantages.

* * *

 _Well...I can see how she tricked you so easily, you've always been a sucker for big boobs – Roy_

 _I CAN'T HELP IT! I LOVE 'EM! – Havoc_

Riza didn't even bother being in the same room with those two anymore, deciding to seek refugee with Alphonse and drinking her coffee peacefully as she quietly observed how Winry beat the life out of the two grown men.

Ed grinned almost sadistically, wishing he still had his automail arm as he cracked his knuckles, "Heh, she's always been faster with that wrench of hers," he grinned.

"I thought you shared his preferences Edward," Riza commented rather bluntly causing the young man to splutter and nearly stumble over himself.

" _W-WHAT?!"_ his mortified shout echoed through the hallways of the State Military while Riza smiled to herself.

* * *

 _Ohhh now the Colonel is scared of big bad Scar! That's a surprise considering how USELESS you were against him! Huehuehue – Alligator Ed_

 _THAT WASN'T MY FAULT, IT WAS RAINING THAT DAY! – Tyrannosaurus Roy_

 _Was it raining when you got beat up and sent to the hospital? You're still useless! – Alligator Ed_

Riza sighed, "That time, I wished I was paid extra for babysitting..." she shook her head.

Roy froze, burying his face in his hands, "How preposterous...humiliated...by a little pipsqueak Alchemist-"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SMALL CHARCOAL?!" Ed alias "Alligator Edward Elric" came storming in like a raging bull, sending a barrage of punches and kicks towards the startled man.

Riza observed the bickering duo and sighed again, "I still wish I was paid more..."

Alphonse nodded sadly.

* * *

 _Greetings Edward Elric, when I heard you were in the hospital OF COURSE I CAME OVER! Just as I have suspected, you're in desperate need of my assistance! You need the example of a perfect physical specimen to inspire your recovery! You see? You're looking lively already! – Alex Armstrong_

 _WILL YOU GET OUT?! – Ed_

Ed deadpanned with a shadow covering his eyes, "I wish I had been transferred to another hospital..."

Alex wiped a tear away with his tissue at the comment, the sparkles crying with him.

Hughes sighed and leaned in closer to Roy to whisper in his ear, "I knew we should have strengthened the security..."

Roy smirked.

* * *

 _You didn't drink your milk... – Winry Rockbell_

 _Why should I? I hate it. – Ed_

 _You're going to be in this small state forever if you keep using that stupid excuse! – Winry_

 _SHUT UP! I don't have to drink it if I don't want to! – Ed_

Winry glared evilly at her husband, who turned his head with a sour expression on his face, sweat beginning to bead at his forehead.

"I recall Hohen didn't drink his milk today either..." she began and Ed's sweating grew worse.

"Gee...I really don't know why, that little rascal huh..." Ed felt her getting closer.

A sudden blinding but very familiar pain crashed into his skull, it was the wrench, "STOP RAISING OUR SON TO DETEST MILK AND STAY SMALL LIKE YOU!"

"I'M TALLER THAN YOU, YOU AUTOMAIL FREAK!" Ed roared, waving a fist at his headstrong wife who only kept glaring daggers at him.

* * *

 _So, we meet again ya little bastard. I'm not gonna drink you. – Ed_

 _Silence – Milk_

Ed growled, "Tch...stupid milk...thinking it's so much better than me..."

"Brother...milk can't talk...it's an inanimate object..." Alphonse slowly explained, feeling worried for his brother's sanity.

"I know that Al! It just pisses me off!" Ed crossed his arms stubbornly, turning off the TV in irritation.

* * *

 _ARGGHHHAAHH! CONVENIENTLY AWAKENED TELEPATHIC POWERS! – Ed_

 _Disturbed silence. – Ling_

 _ELRIC BROTHER TELEPATHYYY! ARGGHHHHAAA! – Ed_

 _...Yeah, good luck with that. – Ling_

Alphonse stared at his brother, "You tried to reach me with...telepathic powers?"

Ed crossed his arms and stuck his lower lip out, "...I thought it would work...that's why they're called _convenient_ telepathic powers..."

"Yeah...I think his antenna broke back there..." Ling commented, scratching at his head exasperatedly.

* * *

 _The last thing I'm gonna do is start crying for you now, water makes you useless. – Riza_

Roy stared grumpily at his wife, who dismissed it with calmly reading the newspaper and drinking coffee.

Black Hayate whined and nuzzled Roy's leg in sympathy.

* * *

 _Yo, Ed my boy! Is it true you brought a pretty blonde girl in the room to service you? – Hughes_

 _S-She's my automail mechanic, that's all and nothing more! – Ed_

 _Oh, I see, so you seduced your mechanic have you? – Hughes_

Red faced Edward glared at gleeful Hughes, "...You're a perverted old fool,"

Hughes grinned widely, "Ah, no, no I'm afraid not, I had been right haven't I?" he winked.

Ed exploded, " _SHE_ SEDUCED _ME_ -!" a wrench came crashing against his skull painfully, sending him sprawling into a bloodied mess on the floor.

Hughes scratched the back of his neck nervously when he saw a murderous-looking Winry standing in the hallway, looking like she was out for blood.

* * *

 **The end for now! Following up is a Royai fic! :)**


	113. My Position as Führer

Hello everyone, I present you a Royai fic! :)

 **BTW:** The quote at the beginning of the chapter is spoken by Roy, just a reminder ^^

 **My Position as Führer**

 _I lost my pawns, my knight, my rook, my bishop, and even my queen. But, it's not checkmate, just yet._

He stared at his white gloves, the transmutation circles for his flame alchemy imprinted on them in red. He was glad he had gotten his vision back, he remembered how terrified he had been when he first realized what happened, but also the calm fear and acceptance that took over him upon reflecting that _if_ he never regained his eyesight, he would have to help rebuild a nation he couldn't ever see again.

He heard silent footsteps approaching the tent where he was currently brooding and his vision was met with a pair of army boots, followed by baggy blue pants and lastly a dark brown shirt and Riza's face, hawk's gaze trained on him.

He knew what was coming as she took the rest of her uniform off the rack and expertly put it on, "Ready, sir?"

She didn't need to ask, he _had_ to be ready, but the soft look in her eyes suggested he still had a choice in the matter. They both knew he didn't but the thought of it was comforting.

He nodded silently, standing up to his full height and she nodded in return.

He uttered the words before he could stop himself, "Are you sure you can do this?"

She only offered him a nod and a small smile, "Don't go where I can't follow, sir," she turned her back to him and opened one flap of the tent, "This is only one of the obstacles we will overcome on your way to rebuild Amestris,"

He smiled and in a rare moment, a moment he allowed himself to act out of line, he placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling her tense then relax against his touch. He closed his eyes, "Will you shoot me if I nicely ask you to before this begins?" there was a hint of humor in his tone.

She smirked, "I'm afraid I can't obey this order, sir," she turned serious again as soon as they entered the spacious court room and sat down on two chairs, facing the court members and judges.

"Let's begin, shall we Colonel Roy Mustang, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye?" one of the judges asked, files in his hands and their very lives.

Both nodded firmly.

* * *

It had been hours since the court martial had started and both Roy and Riza had doubt clouding their minds like a dark rain cloud threatening to rumble with thunder over their heads.

When the head judge rose from his seat and the others followed suit, Roy and Riza deemed it appropriate to follow as the judge began to spoke, "Colonel Roy Mustang and First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye," he glanced at them, the glasses with a slim frame giving him a even harsher appearance which was only augmented by the thin, protruding nose keeping them up, "You've been heavily charged with the annihilation of an entire race. The executed annihilation ordered by the late Führer King Bradley issued the extermination of the Ishvalan race, with the purpose of ending the hostile relations shared with them and so preventing a war which may have increased in its severity before 1908 with the start of this conflict officially marked as the year of 1901." The judge paused, glancing again at Riza and Roy.

Both maintained calm expressions, not willing to allow their facades to falter under the scrutiny of the judges.

"However, latest revelations concerning the Führer's identity as well as the real role of the Ishvalans within the war, namely misunderstood victims of it branded as enemies by the state, we have decided against a death penalty," both figures froze, eyes wide in astonishment.

They had expected the worst, with their active roles in the war but this...

Roy decided to speak up, gathering his fragile courage, "But sir, we have actively participated in a one sided annihilation that had eliminated an entire race!" Riza stiffened from beside him. They didn't understand.

The judge held up a hand, "At ease, Colonel, we have received trusted intel from one our sources, rest assured we know the truth behind the war." Roy's eyes widened.

"The truth will not be leaving these walls however, as I'm sure will plunge Amestris in unneeded panic over being controlled by a ancient race called "Homunculi". One of those so called "Homunculi" has shot a Ishvalan child, while disguised as one of our very own men and has prompted the start of a bloody war which ended in peril." His voice rang loud and clear, so loud Roy and Riza almost didn't hear the rapid pounding of their hearts and the blood pumping in their ears.

"I'm sorry to say however, your deeds will not go unpunished," his face grew grim, "Heeding your positions in the war and under the direct control of the late Führer, we have decided a penalty of lifelong servitude to the country of Amestris shall be enough to atone for what you have done,"

Again, both soldiers' eyes widened in shock. What...?

"But sir-" Riza began but was cut off.

Again, the head judge lifted his hand for silence, "We've have decided it to be the best course of action currently. General Grumman I believe shall become the new Führer as of now, however, we have decided after he decides to pass on the title of Führer, if you so desire to claim for yourself. Rebuilding Ishval will be of course included in your lifelong service to the country of Amestris," the judge's grim expression melted to give way a softer smile and nodded.

It was over.

* * *

"What...just what happened back there?" Roy asked in bewilderment, hands resting on the back of his neck as he hung his head down to stare at his boots, perplexed.

Riza sat opposite of him, quite shaken herself, "I...I'm not sure if I can answer that either, sir..." her voice betrayed her shock, clearly taken aback by the decision of the judges.

Roy straightened in his seated position, a look of recognition in his eyes, "...Could it be that we were...forced to pledge our allegiance to Amestris? To rebuilding Ishval? To...perhaps become Führer...?" he couldn't believe it...

"It would seem so sir..." Riza chuckled quietly, "To tell you the truth, I have expected to be sentenced to a life sentence for this...but this was..."

"...getting off the hook, more or less, we are bound to our jobs now," for some reason, Roy sounded sad and Riza picked up on it.

"You seem sorry for it..." she smiled gently.

Roy smiled, shaking his head, "It's nothing..." he stood up, "Well...let's get to work," Riza nodded and stood up as well, following him outside.

They still had a country to rebuild...

* * *

General Grumman smiled slyly, hearing his subordinate report to him how the court martial went and where Mustang and Riza currently were, "So they're helping rebuilding the ruins of Ishval huh..."

He chuckled, "Amusing indeed...oh Roy, in what sort of trouble are you getting my granddaughter now again..." he laughed, finding the situation highly amusing.

He was glad he had good contacts and friends in high places, while he hadn't bribed the judges or clouded their minds, he still managed to prevent something along the lines of a death sentence or worse from coming up.

Serving a life sentence to the country didn't sound all that bad, however he knew Roy Mustang.

He chuckled again in delight, " _Oh Roy my boy...I don't doubt that once you become Führer, you will tear down the fraternization laws once and for all,"_ he chuckled, already planning bets on when his darling granddaughter and that headstrong dog will finally seal the deal...

"I'm betting on Riza, she was always the one with the pants on in that relationship," another subordinate of his grinned.

Grumman laughed, "Indeed, she was," the pile of 'Riza' was growing quite a bit.

Someone threw cents on a pile for Roy suddenly and upon noticing who it was, Grumman had to laugh again, "Can we bet too?" Havoc grinned widely, Fuery, Breda and Falman behind him wearing sheepish smiles and grins.

Grumman grinned, "Help yourself,"

* * *

It had been a tiring day for the both of them, they had driven to the place where once Ishval stood, Ishvalan refugees had been gathered there, Scar and Miles had been there too, overseeing everything and helping along as well.

It had been a inspirational sight almost, to see so many people, people who used to stand on opposite sides, now smiling and aiding each-other in rebuilding a nation that had been the victim of that war since the beginning.

Rebecca had come to help too, surprisingly, chatting with Riza while the women did manual labor helping the other workers into building a stable frame for houses that would soon be built here. Things were looking up for them all.

Rebecca's gaze moved away from her friend and she smirked, leaning in closely to Riza to whisper to her, "Well, well, well, would you look at that, look who's been staring at you like a kicked puppy this whole time," she nodded her head at something behind Riza but when the blonde turned around with a confused expression she saw Roy's back, who was discussing some plans with another worker looking over a blueprint.

Riza turned back to her friend, "I think the sun might be getting to you," she continued hammering at the stubborn nails in the wood.

Rebecca pouted like a child, hands on her hips, "And I think you're starting to become blind, _look!"_ she motioned again towards Roy and when Riza turned around this time, she met the Colonel's gaze.

He quickly pretended to be looking over their heads at something none of the women could see, before swiftly turning on his heel and picking up a shovel to help the men dig.

Riza watched him, watched how his normally neat dress shirt clung to his broad back and forearms from sweat, watched how his sleeves were rolled up till his elbows to allow at least some relieve of the merciless sun shining upon their backs. She watched his tall frame, walking in confident strides to the other workers and offer his help, before helping them dig, determination in his actions.

What she didn't see however was the embarrassed blush on his face she blamed the sun for.

* * *

"Lieutenant..." Roy began slowly, letting her support some of his weight as they stumbled into her apartment, the smell of alcohol and the smoke that had permeated the bar area still clinging to him.

Riza did her best to bring them both to the bathroom, "Yes, sir?" her voice was steady and clear, having only consumed about two glasses of weak alcohol.

There has been a small celebration in the bar a few blocks down, marking the success of the first built house in what was once Ishval, they still needed to decorate the interior and make it habitable, but they have come a great deal closer and that was all that mattered.

For some reason, Roy had consumed far more alcohol than usually, getting drunk quite quickly thanks to the strong drinks he ordered. She couldn't figure out why he would get drunk like that, but put the blame on wanting to have fun and celebrate.

He was unusually quiet as they finally stumbled into her bathroom, Riza flicked on the lights and carefully helped him sit still on the closed lid of the toilet. Roy remained silent and it only increased her worries as she asked, "Sir?"

Roy blinked, once, twice, then slowly lifted his head to look at her, his dark obsidian eyes clearer than she expected with the alcohol in his system.

And then he leaned in toward her, gently cupping her cheek, his thumb drawing distracting circles against the soft flesh as he gazed at her as intently as when he performed his flame alchemy.

"Lieutenant..." his gaze narrowed, "Riza...will you...continue to follow me?" he leaned his forehead carefully against her own, he knew he was crossing a line, a very dangerous, thin line that had existed since the beginning of their relationship as subordinate and superior.

He often had to force himself never to breach that line, part in respect to her wishes, part because of himself, because he would never forgive himself if he screwed anything up with her, because if he lost her, it would all be over. His reason for everything's that shaped him and everything he's done for now would pale.

It was thanks to her that he managed to survive the harsh training her father had put him through in learning flame alchemy, it was thanks to her that his relationship with his aunt had bettered, having realized she was his only living relative and that what time he did spend with her it was solely for gathering information.

Because of her, he realized what a monster he was. He realized how terrible and scary he could be, he realized how frightening and fierce his eyes could be when he let his anger completely overwhelm his senses and when he had looked directly at himself during those moments, he was frightened of it himself. Of himself. Of that monster.

At the same time, she made him realize how very human he was too. How flawed he was, how he liked to spend his afternoons lazing about the office when he needed to do paperwork, how he valued everyone of the Mustang team despite teasing them, how he saw a bit of himself in Edward, a bit of the lost boy who lost his relatives and didn't know what to do from that point onward, how he kept trying to act strong and achieve something of his own and rid his mistakes.

It was her that softened his heart into protecting the boys when time permitted, it was because of her that he realized that a rebellious child such as Edward didn't only need harsh words and strict discipline to grow. He realized that with a soft spoken child like Alphonse stuck in a body that didn't feel the warmth of others or experience any other human emotion aside from the ones his soul did...it made him realize that tactful manners and carefully chosen words could inflame hope in a heart that had been broken.

She was there when Hughes died, she was the indestructible force that held him together when he had been a broken mess, the time when his first tear fell at Hughes' grave, that many more had followed even into the privacy of his apartment. And in the next morning when he had woken up with a pounding headache and a empty feeling in his heart, she had been laying on the floor beside his bed and held his hand the entire night when nightmares would plague his dreams.

"Of course, sir," Riza smiled, worried, "Are you alright sir?"

She also...made him realize things about himself too...

That one person alone _could_ change many things, that _one_ person was capable of changing another's life forever in a way nobody imagined, that _one_ person could change the path life has forced upon them and make a path of their own, that _one_ person...

...could change _him_.

"Yes...I'm alright..." he smiled and she smiled back.

"Let's get you out of these clothes first, you reek of alcohol," he stumbled slightly but she caught him and the proximity between them was closed as their bodies pressed together, trying to support his larger and heavier frame, "Can you stand, sir?"

Roy smiled, discreetly inhaling her scent, traces of perfume, sweat and her own musky smell.

"Yes, Lieutenant, I'll be fine," she nodded.

"...Can you help me undress?" the look he gave her prompted her to do a double take.

"I thought you said you were fine sir,"

"Oh no, I think I'm fainting Lieutenant!" Roy raised his hand to his forehead dramatically and Riza rolled her eyes.

"I'll be back with some clothes for you, just wait here and don't do anything stupid,"

"Why I beg to pardon Lieutenant, I'm a respectable grown adult who-"

He shut up when Riza fixed him with a long look, before disappearing behind the door.

He sighed and smiled, looking surprised when she came back with an assortment of his very own clothes in her hands, "But these are mine?"

Riza nodded, "Yes, on occasion when you're intoxicated and sleep here for the night you sometimes leave your spare clothes here. I washed and ironed them for you so you can use them for the next time," her words were logical, but something in the fact that she had some of his clothes in her home, that she took the time to wash and iron them so he could put them on for the next time on one of his drunken endeavors...

He hugged her, clothes falling on the floor as he held her to him, breaching another line again, she stiffened but slowly relaxed, whispering, "Are you alright-"

"Roy," he cut her off gently, burying his face in her hair.

"...Roy," Riza smiled and everything felt right again as she returned his hug, forgetting formalities and ranks and titles and positions.

"...I am now...Riza,"

He smiled.

* * *

It was the day he decided to grow a experimental moustache.

It was also the day where he would be proclaimed as the next Führer by General Grumman.

And as he met the elated and content faces of the citizens of Amestris, his gaze moved away from them and to his side.

Where she was. Dressed in a more regal looking uniform, standing beside him tall and proud, proud of his achievement, of where he was standing now.

And he smiled.

Not for the fact that he finally fulfilled his lifelong dream, not for the fact that it was Grumman who gave him the honors, not even for the fact that he could rebuild Amestris into a country where things like the Promised Day or the Ishvalan Extermination would never happen again, no.

He smiled for the sole fact that _she_ was beside him.

With her help, he had achieved his dream.

And with only her help, she could help him achieve another dream of his.

The day where she said...

 _Yes._

* * *

Oh man...cheesy ending, I know, but bear with my moods ^^


	114. Things taken for granted

**ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** haha thanks a bunch! I'm glad I managed to brighten your day a bit with that fic of mine :3 I'll be sure to write Royai a bit more often.

 **Penguin20:** (considers ideas) (slowly smiles) ahh...I've gotten quite the ideas already...especially for the genderbent one...but Ed and Greed sharing the same body? Calamity ensues! :D

 ** _NOTE:_** Well...this made me cry...WARNING FOR THE WATERWORKS! T_T

 **UPDATE NOTE FOR GrumpyCatWriter101: T_T **I was randomly reading profiles of my readers and authors I'm friends with and I looked at YOUR profile and I saw MY name on it and...(sniffs) being mentioned as having good stories is , at least for me, one of the greatest honors an amateur author can possibly receive! T_T (and here are the waterworks) So...thanks so much for mentioning little me in your author profile GrumpyCatWriter! :) To me, it means a lot so thank you :3

* * *

 **Things taken for granted**

 _People take things for granted. Things that seem so trivial, so boring, things that we see or do every day of our life. But...once you lost something...it's a different story..._

Edward Elric was at the tender age of ten when he had lost his arm and leg.

Alphonse Elric had been nine when he had lost his whole body.

Edward hadn't been especially materialistic before the incident, he had simple wants and needs as a child and hadn't asked for more than he needed. But after learning to adapt his life to his automail, learned to use them to his advantage, he had looked upon the vast world with different eyes.

Sometimes, it had been weird when he shook someone's hand with his automail hand and couldn't feel the warmth or the softness of the skin around his hand and other times he didn't feel the increased pressure he was inflicting upon the owner's hand in turn in his early years of learning to control his new limbs.

He still had his other hand, of course, but the alien feeling wouldn't leave him, one foot would meet the ground with a soft thud, while the other resonated with a loud, heavy _clank_.

He had long since accepted the fact that he wasn't normal, not with those limbs, not with his mind, nothing.

But despite himself, his thoughts kept coming back to his younger brother.

Alphonse Elric had lost his body as a consequence to performing a taboo in alchemy, without his body, he was unable of feeling warmth, another human's touch or even feel basic human needs like hunger or fatigue.

At night, when everyone would be lying asleep, he would be the only one awake and make himself comfortable by the window and stare out at the dark sky bathed in twinkling stars and the moon.

He would watch how night changed to day, the different stages from darkness to light, stars disappearing from view to give way for the clear sky at dawn, colors ranging from yellow, orange, red and even pink and purple. Those times, he often asked himself if he would have been able to see that if he still had his human body.

If he would be able to see night change to day, watch the displays of colors that greeted him in the morning and said goodbye at night, listen to how nature around him grew quieter and quieter until all he could hear was the occasional passing by breeze and his brother's soft snores.

He was able to view the world in a way he never could with his old human body, it was true, he missed _feeling_ like a human being, but then again, he did feel after all.

Rage, disappointment, sadness, happiness, excitement, fear...he was able to feel all of them despite being a suit of armor. He didn't _need_ a human body. When someone would place their hand upon his shoulder or touch his own one, he may not be able to feel their warmth, but he could envision it, picture it the same way he felt his mother's warm touch before the disease took her.

Whenever Riza would comfortingly place a hand on his arm and give a soft almost motherly look he was unaccustomed to see from the stern soldier, he would still be able to remember his mother's warm hand and even vaguely the large, heavy but welcoming warmth of his father's hand as it ruffled his hair.

He couldn't experience hunger, but his brother did that for him. Whenever they had the privilege of tasting new and exotic food from the culinary world on their journeys, he had made it a point to thoroughly interrogate his brother about what the food tasted like, it's texture and the feelings he associated with it.

Edward had taken to reading cooking books from time to time to accurately describe the food he ate to Al so he could envision them perfectly. Sometimes, it wouldn't work, because he hadn't learned of new tastes before the incident with his body, but other times it would be just fine and that knowledge only made him more excited to finish their journey and hopefully restore their bodies so he could taste that food for himself.

He had secretly kept a list, unknown to his brother, about what he would like to do once he got his body back. The list had been safely stored inside Al's armor, just at the inside of the shoulder plates where the metal was strongest and where not as many attacks were directed at.

 _Eat all the exotic food brother described_

 _Run across grassy fields_

 _Sleep in a bed_

 _Drink water and all sorts of juices_

 _Shake as many hands from friends as possible_

 _Touch Mei's cheek and hands as often as possible_

 _Remember all the different textures I explored and write them down_

 _Pinch myself sometimes so I remember the pain_

 _Kiss Mei_

 _Taste Winry's apples pies_

 _Hug brother_

 _Cry_

 _Breathe_

 _Live_

Edward wiped the tears furiously away from his eyes when he found the list stored in the night desk of his brother's bed.

"Well, Al...you can finally do everything that's on this list..." Ed sniffled, half chuckling, half crying to himself.

 _Many people take things for granted._

 _People that lost something decide to cherish life and everything that comes with it to its fullest_

 _because they realize, if they lose another precious thing,_

 _they lost a part of themselves and that is the biggest torture anyone can possibly experience._

 _Losing your voice, a limb, your hearing...anything at all..._

 _it may bring forth an era of calamity but once that's overcome..._

 _you feel you've missed out on life when you still had all those things._

 _And that's the truly beautiful thing here._

 _That, once you lose something, you finally get to cherish everything you still have..._

 **GRUMPYCATWRITER101 I left a small note for you above! :) Thanks for reading everyone!**


	115. Um Santa?

Had a long day behind me, I hope this chapter didn't turn as crappy as I think it did, I didn't really feel in the mood I guess :/

Uh, well, I didn't really want to announce it grandly or anything but um, yeah so tomorrow is my birthday (the 17 th of June) and I MAY not update, just so you guys know! I may update " _Letters from War"_ and such today though.

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **GrumpyCatWriter101:** Hey there, I just wanted to say thank you for standing up for me like that, rarely experienced it till now really :) Honestly, your review really touched me and I really, deeply appreciate the effort and time you put into it, but I don't want readers to get into conflicts because of my stories. I'm not sure why HackerSlash behaves the way they do, but I hope my stories haven't possibly offended them one way or another. It's not the first time I get hater comments and I try not to let that influence me as much. Sometimes it's hard, other times it's fine. But really, I feel a bit better reading your review and I want to really thank you again :) The act of committing suicide itself, well, I would never do that, it may sound offending, but I think it's cowardly. Sure, people are sometimes driven to the brink of insanity in their life and don't know a way out, I understand that, but...just ending your life because of it? People would miss you, friends, family, some people you may not even know but still inspired and I think it would be worse than what you yourself could inflict upon yourself that way. Killing yourself to end your problems isn't gonna end somebody else's and I don't think I could die that way knowing that, knowing that I let other people I care about and would never hurt, to bring them down so much just because I'm desperate in a moment of my life. (smiles) Nah, I would scold myself over and over again if I even thought about such things, that's why I try to stay as optimistic as possible, you know? People are like mirrors, when you smile, they smile too. :) I know it's not always the case, but I'd like to think it could be.

Alright, enough sentimental ranting on my part ^^ phew, anyway, here's another chapter ready to be read! Enjoy dear readers! :)

 **NOTE: This is a modernish AU but with elements included of the FMA:B world (automail, alchemy, Lan Fan is still Ling's bodyguard but works in an office too...etc.)**

 **Um...Santa?**

 _"_ _Dear Santa, for Christmas, I would like a stripper, thanks!"_

A long, drawn out groan of frustration and mortification echoed in the empty room as Lena leaned back in her comfy couch and sat with a pulsing headache, a parched throat and a still fuzzy mind in her humble home.

She remembered drinking too much with the girls last night...hell they've gotten drunk off their asses. Even the ever correct Riza got drunk, heavily might one add. She shook her head but stopped and grabbed it with her hands the moment she realized it caused her dizziness to worsen.

"Aw...damn..." she whined, blindly reached for the bottle of water mixed with aspirin she mixed just this early morning to get rid of her headache. Usually, she was a bit more responsible and didn't need stupid alcohol in her system to have a good time with her friends, but last night, it had been a _horrible_ day for them all.

Lena had encountered a grabby pervert in her self-defense course and had flipped when he kept being persistent, when she punched him for good measure, her superior asked her to 'cool off for the rest of the day'. She had stormed angrily out of the gym, not interested in hearing her colleague defend her by saying it wasn't her fault and her boss countering that she hadn't seen the ordeal and couldn't do much except for send the offender away and Lena home to 'cool down'.

Tch...

Mei and Lan Fan had had a lot of work to do yesterday, bone breaking overtime hours nobody got paid for fairly, the usual.

Riza had a straining battle with paperwork after Roy neglected his desk duties, _again_ , and she had been the one to fix his mistakes. _Of course._ Lena sighed, shaking her head, she still asked herself how she didn't shoot him somewhere where it _hurt_ every time he pulled stunts like these.

Winry had a very busy day with her automail shop and dealing with a very cranky Edward, for whatever reason. Winry had mentioned something about constantly shadowing her, following her around like a hawk, nagging her at work, getting disapproving looks from her customers and of course starting screaming matches with granny Pinako over their respective heights, despite Ed now being taller than Winry.

Not to mention, Greed or Ling hadn't shown in quite a while. She suspected they were up to no good as usual, but still...not even a phone call...Greed hadn't come home since two days ago and when she phoned Lan Fan to find out where _her_ boyfriend ran off to, the only explanation she offered was that they may have run off together.

 _Ha!_

If Lena wasn't so sure Greed loved her to bits, she would actually believe it. Those two were like a married couple at times, bickering like bloodthirsty hyenas one second and hugging and cuddling the next...well mostly on Ling's part, Greed was a bit more of a tsundere that way.

She sighed and her eyes roamed over the surprisingly neat handwriting she recognized as her own on the small square piece of paper, she snorted in disbelief, "...Jeez...just how drunk was I? A stripper? Couldn't I have been a bit more imaginative?" she asked herself aloud, letting her head fall back to hit the soft cushion of her couch, "Hmm...doesn't sound all that bad actually," she shrugged, heavy lidded eyes closing slowly as she drifted off to sleep, curling into a ball and forgetting the world for another precious few hours.

* * *

 _"Dear Santa, for Christmas, I would like a new set of wrenches and automail oil,"_

Winry stared at the letter, transfixed, before lifting her trusty wrench in the air and asking aloud, "...A new set of wrenches?" she shook her head vigorously, "Why would I want that? I already have the best one on the market!" she clutched the tool closer to her as if showering it with her affections before huffing and leaning forward to rest her forehead against the kitchen table.

"Never again..." Winry sighed long and hard, feeling the effects of last night's alcohol beginning to take its toll on her. She usually never if rarely ever drank, she was a lightweight or somewhere in the middle actually. Yesterday, she just had to let loose. Ed had scared away half of her customers yesterday, what has gotten into him, she couldn't figure out.

The man had been restless yesterday, nagging her about every little thing and when Alphonse had taken him away for a sparring match, she relished the peace and quiet that took over the busy house.

Until the little demon came back.

Not so little anymore, he was still a demon spawned from hell when he wanted to be and Winry definitely didn't need _that_ attitude when she was repairing automail or working on her customer's limbs and reconnecting their nerves. A very painful process, one Edward had almost disturbed but with a well aimed throw of her wrench, it had prevented any further disaster.

All in all, she had been _exhausted_. Alphonse had been such a kind and supportive soul, offering her cool drinks when she looked parched and chiding her to taking breaks in between busy work hours, occupying her customers while they waited for their turn so time went by faster for them.

That stupid buffoon of a brother of his had been the complete opposite, as nature dictated.

Throwing temper tantrums like his sixteen year old self, _daring_ to disturb her concentration while she measured a new automail limb for one of her customers, asking her what _this_ and _that_ was and what the whole point of _it_ was.

 _Ugh._

It was, surprisingly, granny who stopped her from committing homicide by throwing Edward out of the house, unfortunately with Alphonse and ordering them to spar or go for a walk, anything to cool that thick head of his.

It had worked, for the most part. When they returned, Edward seemed a bit more pacified but that did nothing to deter him from annoying _her_.

Sometimes, he would do it unconsciously. Just by being near her, when she would be able to smell the scent of his cologne after shaving or the simple smell of him, the fresh air outside, a bit of metal and the shampoo he uses would break her concentration in a split second. He wasn't aware of it of course, otherwise she would have buried herself long ago in her backyard were that the case, but she still hated him for it.

Or the shiver that would involuntarily run down her spine when she heard his low voice talking to her just beside her ear, saying words she often overheard because of her traitorous mind focusing more on how his voice _sounded_ like than the _words_ in them.

And here she was sitting at the kitchen table with a wrench in one hand and a blasted letter in the other that said her Christmas order of automail oil and wrenches to Santa.

Life couldn't get any better than this.

* * *

 _"_ _Dear Santa, I would like Alphonse-sama to notice me!"_

With a dazed giggled, Mei slumped forward in her bean bag, surrounded by candy wrappers and a equally dazed panda sprawled on a smaller, miniature sized bean bag beside her larger one.

Well...at least she didn't prank call people while drunk, as did _certain_ other people.

She shook her head, clutching the soft material of her bean bag closer as she groaned and whined into it, feeling the headache stubbornly refusing to leave her.

"...Never...never...never...never again...ouch..." Mei whined, both hands moving to her head to steady her field of vision as she refocused back on the stupid, drunk letter.

What did she even _mean_ with notice? He _was_ noticing her! They were _friends_ for Xing's sake!

Mei groaned, moving a hand over her eyes and blindly reaching for the curtains to pull them to the side and bathe the room in darkness as she made a split second decision to sleep over the words she wrote in her drunken haze last night.

She didn't think it was anything good.

* * *

" _Dear Santa, for Christmas, I want Mr. Santa to seduce me,"_

Staring suspiciously at the wrinkled piece of paper on her coffee table, Riza slowly sipped her coffee, feeling the biting headache that had split her skull apart subsiding considerably thanks to the warm beverage in her hand.

Well...the handwriting definitely wasn't hers...in fact, it looked a bit like Lena's...

She groaned, rubbing at the sides of her forehead as she tried making sense of the situation.

Last night, she got drunk with her friends. Check.

They drank a bit too much. Check.

They made drunken prank calls to people she couldn't remember at the moment. Check.

They dressed up Xiao Mei in a frilly, pink outfit and cheered when the little panda actually danced. Check.

Riza groaned, running a hand through her hair at all the stupid and _irresponsible_ things she let herself indulge in last night.

She could just hope the people they had prank called weren't any she knew.

Why did life hate her so?

A message not even two minutes after she had thought that arrived.

 _Jean Havoc, 9:44 a.m.:_

 _"_ _Uh, hey Riza, you know I'm not sure if you're in the condition to read this but care to explain why I got several calls yesterday from some drunk women telling me to 'show those big guns' and explain what else I'm smoking apart from my cigarettes? What does that even mean? ._

A mortified groan later and Riza covered her face with her hands.

Another beep, another message.

 _Kain Fuery, 9:48 a.m.:_

 _"_ _Hello ,Lieutenant! Um, I'm sorry to bother you so early on your day off but...I've received strange calls yesterday...I'm not sure but I think one of them was Lena and you...or all of them..err...I received disturbing orders to write a full report on 'why geeks are cute' and to change my name into 'Fuery the Puppy'."_

By the time Riza finished reading it there was a big lump on her bed, covered by a blanket as another beep rang through the air and Riza froze.

 _Heymans Breda, 10:05 a.m.:_

 _"_ _...What in the world have you been smoking , Lieutenant?"_

The lump shifted.

* * *

 _"_ _Dear Santa, I would like...for my love interest to acknowledge me as more than just his bodyguard...and possibly romance me...thank you,"_

Lan Fan's tea lay forgotten on her table as she stared in horror at the letter she wrote last night, mind clouded with the influence of alcohol and sake.

Face flushing with embarrassment and shame, Lan Fan grabbed her blanket and covered her head, shaking it vigorously in disbelief at her own stupidity.

A warrior such as her, trained in the art of stealth and martial arts...

...let's her judgment become clouded by alcohol and write a childish letter to someone she didn't even believe in?

She groaned, miserably sipping her green tea as her body felt weak from consuming so much alcohol.

She wasn't so sure if it was the amount that made her weak or simply the fact that she even drank alcohol. She rarely ever drank sake, so that was speaking volumes.

With a shaky hand, she gripped the side of her head, face red in embarrassment as she envisioned the very obvious man she had written about.

...There weren't many Xingese Emperors with a bodyguard anyway...

 **To be continued in Part 2 if readers are interested to see more! :)**


	116. Um Santa? Part 2

I'm sorry everyone for the delay! I've had a really tough time lately, for the past two weeks, and I couldn't really focus on continuing to write the second part. - I'm alright now for the most part, so I hope my writer mind switches on again and I'll be able to publish better chapters!

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **GrumpyCatWriter101:** haha thanks! I feared I wrote it too cliché-like (sweat drop) haha No, no, really thank you for standing up for me like that :) I didn't want to react because I feared it would just end up in pointless fights and I doubt HackerSlash will really stop anytime soon (I think they even reviewed another one of my stories but I'm not sure). (rubs tears away) Aww, THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH for the really nice birthday wishes! :) :3 That warmed my heart! T_T

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** haha thanks! Yeah, that's my favorite line from that chapter too ^^ When I wrote it I just thought:" Yep...definitely something Breda would say" haha. Ah, no, no I know about that, I meant that it might help people who are suicidal to try and think of a different perspective than "If I'm gone the world would be better off without me" and instead try to think "Well, if I'm gone now, I may feel better and I even may not be a burden to other people around me, but to those that kept telling me they loved me, how would they feel like?" You know, something like that, but of course it's always difficult getting out of such a situation.

 **Panic:** Haha hello back! (waves too) Well, eheh, to be honest, I kinda felt down after those reviews, I know it's just something that haters do to get a rise out of writers, but I've always felt insecure about my writing and well...yeah... But I got over it, I'm too much of an optimist (or you may call that stubborn idiocy...whatever works for you lol) to be down for too long ;) Thanks so much! I actually thought of only writing about Hohenheim in "Gentle Death" but then I got the idea for Lust too. I thought that instead of focusing on her circumstances of (her) death, I focused more on the calm that settled after it, signaling she was free from her duties to father, free to do what she wanted in the afterlife. While with Hohenheim I focused more on the circumstance as well as on the peaceful thoughts of reuniting with Trisha again. And yeah, I heard that climax is also referred to sometimes like that. Haha really? Thank you :3 I normally like to joke around and I try to show that in my stories too ^^

 **Lily:** Aw thanks so much Lil'! :)

* * *

 **Um...Santa? Part 2**

Lena unceremoniously kicked the woman's side, "Finally kicked the bucket, did you?" a loud groan of disapproval and pain echoed within the small room and Lena rolled her eyes, hands on her hips as she surveyed the blonde mechanic sprawled haphazardly across her bed.

"Too bad, I thought I could get all your stuff if you did...you know, friendship and shit," Lena giggled at Winry's half hearted death glare before sitting beside her on the bed and lowering her voice, "...Did you also write a letter to Santa?" she rose an eyebrow, looking like she was giving away classified information about the state to an outsider.

Winry rolled over in her bed, slowly getting up on all fours before she shoved her legs within the warm comfort of her blanket and sat upright in bed, leaning against the wall behind her, eyes drowsy as she rubbed the sleep from them, "Yeah..." she rubbed her head, "Just how much did we drink? Well...at least mine sounds like a customary order for automail parts and oil...what did you write?" she peeked an eye open at her friend curiously.

Lena suddenly turned shy, staring down at her feet, "Uhh...w-well...you see..." she coughed into her hand, "It's not all that important you know, the usual,"

Winry was fully awake _now_ , "Aha...and 'the usual' in your language means?" she leaned in, intent on getting answers.

Lena's voice was very, very quiet, "I asked Santa for strippers!"

Lena's groan and Winry's laughter echoed through the flat as the woman attempted to lightheartedly hit the blonde but Winry moved away just in time, "Well I'm right, I think I may have the most innocent one out of all of you!" she laughed, shaking her head.

Lena grumbled to herself, huffing, "...Aw shit...does sharpshooter know it was my handwriting?" she grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

Winry fixed her with a look, "That wasn't all that hard to figure out...come on... _'I want Santa to seduce me'?_ Seriously?" she shook her head.

Lena rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, I get it, I get it. Come on...that would be awesome considering how uptight Riza is sometimes and you _know it_!" she pointed an accusing finger at Winry, who smiled at her friend's silly behavior.

Lena's eyes suddenly flashed with mischief, "Hmm...I wonder..."

"Oh no," Winry ran a hand down her face and Lena swatted playfully at her.

"Shush! Now...what if her Secret Santa is someone she knows?" she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, grinning like a cat.

Winry's eyes widened, "Someone she knows?! Oh NO, no, no, no! You _will_ not-"

Lena's smug expression offered no room for discussion. It was decided. All they need to do is buy a Santa costume and convince a certain someone to play dress up.

* * *

Lan Fan nearly jumped out of her skin when a warm hand clasped on her shoulder and she almost had a heart attack upon noticing it was _Greed_ and _not_ her lord.

"Hey there, scared ya?" Greed grinned like a cat and Lan Fan glared at him icily.

"What do you want now Greed? And where is the young Lord?" there was something unnerving to see Greed in such a jolly mood, especially since he kept whining for the past two days on how he missed Lena and didn't see her for so long.

Greed waved her off, bored expression in place, "The prince is off to hell knows where, some meeting or something like that," his face broke into a devilish grin and it sent uneasy feelings dwelling within Lan Fan's stomach.

"...Yes?" Lan Fan asked when Greed leaned down closer to her, same devilish glint in his eyes.

"Say...do you know where I can find a uniform?" he grinned.

Lan Fan raised an eyebrow, confusion washing over her previous feelings of uneasiness, "...A uniform? What kind?" she tilted her head to the side, thoroughly confused.

Greed tried to appear casual, "Oh you know...something dark, maybe something...blue? Hmm...maybe also a hat," he rubbed his chin.

"...You mean something like a military uniform?"

Greed shook his head, "Well, it can be a military uniform too, but I'm looking more for a uniform concerning...justice," the devilish grin returned again and Lan Fan wasn't sure if her answer would bring about another person's doom.

* * *

Mei had looked like a blushing bride when Alphonse looked down at her, smiling so sweetly like he always did and offering her his half of the ice cream they were currently sharing.

Mei's heart raced a mile a minute and her thoughts were like scrambled eggs when she shyly accepted the delicacy and watched how his smile brightened and his eyes appeared just a bit brighter.

They weren't exactly on a date...at least that's what she thought. But they've spent the day together, ate dinner together, ate dessert together, joked and laughed together and lastly Alphonse, like the sweet, sweet gentleman he was, walked her back home.

Her nerves were well on their way to skyrocketing when she was standing in front of her doorstep and fidgeting on the spot when Alphonse suddenly complimented her hair, telling her how nice and silky it looked and how it brought out her eyes, before he leaned down and placed a tender kiss on the soft, sweating skin of her forehead and bid her goodnight.

Mei was faster in her room before Alphonse took the third step to home, diving for her movie collection and throwing DVD after DVD behind her to find something specific.

Xiao Mei had appeared by her owner's side, watching in confusion and worry how the poor girl searched for something in distress.

The little Xingese woman suddenly spotted her faithful companion from the corner of her eyes and lunged for her, Xiao Mei squeaked in terror when her owner nearly squeezed the life out of her as tears ran down her eyes in frustration, "XIAO MEI! WHAT DO I DO WHEN SEMPAI NOTICES ME?! THE SHOUJO MANGA'S DIDN'T TEACH ME ABOUT THAT!" Mei started wailing like a baby and Xiao Mei couldn't help but clasp her little paws together and pray to whoever was willing to listen to make her get out of this alive.

* * *

When Riza strolled inside her office this morning, she had spent half of her quiet morning profusely apologizing to the members of her unit.

Havoc grinned, leaning back in his chair with his feet casually on the desk, "Well, well, well Riza, didn't peg you as a drinker," he winked, cigarette in mouth.

Riza sighed, "I apologize for the disturbing calls Havoc, it seems we have consumed a bit too much alcohol that night," she rubbed her forehead.

The blond man laughed, shaking his head, "Don't sweat it, but I'm curious, who asked me to show my 'big guns'?" he smirked evilly, purposely flexing as he asked this.

Riza's gaze narrowed in frustration, "...I don't remember, but if I'd have to guess..." an image of a very drunk, very much giggling Lena appeared in her mind and she ran a hand down her face.

Havoc chuckled, "No problem, Lieutenant, all good here. Just next time invite me over will ya?" he winked and Riza smiled, shaking her head at her friend.

"Um...I don't have to write that report, do I?" Fuery asked from his hiding position at his desk, eyes shy and semi afraid of facing the woman's wrath.

Riza smiled and chuckled, "No Fuery, I'm sorry for the inconvenience," she smiled softly at the youngest member before resolutely marching towards Roy Mustang's office, her superior.

With two knocks came the permission to enter and Riza clicked her boots together and saluted as soon as she saw Roy writing something at his desk, "Sir!"

Roy looked up at her and smiled, beckoning her to close the door and step forward.

"Lieutenant," Riza perked up, the unusual warmth within work she detected in his tone seemed peculiar to her.

"Yes, Colonel?"

Roy smiled, "Had a rough night?" his dark eyebrow rose in question, half in amusement, half in understanding and Riza didn't know what was worse.

"...What do you know?" Roy chuckled at her suspicious, semi-embarrassed tone.

"Havoc told me some very...interesting things," he clasped his hands in front of him, smirking, "Big guns, huh?"

Riza sighed, "Apologies, sir. Alcohol tends to warp the mind from clear thinking,"

Roy smirked, "It would appear so, Lieutenant," nonchalantly, he grabbed the newspaper, opening it on the fourth page, before he uttered words that made Riza freeze, "So, Santa huh?"

* * *

"Brother..." Alphonse implored pleadingly, watching his elder brother pout like a displease child.

"You can't make me," Ed's childish tone was testament to his extremely nagging attitude lately.

"But Winry almost killed you last week! You shooed off some of her customers!"

Ed huffed, crossing his arms, "Tch...bastards had it coming anyway..." he rolled his eyes.

Alphonse sighed, clasping his hands together as if in a prayer, "...Are you _sure_ it was her letter?"

Ed growled, "Who else would order _automail oil_ and some wrenches?!" he scratched at his hair, groaning in frustration.

Alphonse shook his head, "I don't know why it bothers you so much, it's just a customary order for her shop,"

"But it's written to _Santa,_ Al!" Ed slammed a fist down on the poor coffee table, "Some imaginary fat jackass that sits on his ass all year round until he throws presents randomly all over the world one night and eats cookies and drinks _milk_ all day!" he threw his arms up in the air in frustration.

Alphonse stared unblinkingly at his brother, "...You just don't like him because he drinks milk,"

"Yeah-well...t-that...that's not important, alright?!" Ed huffed like a raging bull, slumping back on the couch.

"Trust me...there's more to this than we think..." he rubbed his chin, "They did go all to Lena's house, right? Pinako said Winry had a splitting headache the next day, those are possible signs of a hangover, which means they all got drunk. But I wonder..." eyes narrowed as he rubbed at his slightly stubbed chin.

"Wonder what, brother?" Alphonse tilted his head to the side, slowly thinking his brother just might go insane.

"...I wonder if the others wrote any similar letters to _Santa_ too..." he grinned suddenly.

And Al knew he was in inevitable trouble for trying to stop the manic, mostly suicidal plans of his elder brother along the way.

This was not good.

 **Oh brother...wish I wrote this better T_T BTW** , lately, I've taken to playing **Skyrim** again after a whole year of leaving it alone because of school. I thought of maybe even writing up a few **Skyrim fics** but I'm not sure. Anyone here a **Skyrim** fan? ^^


	117. Of Tears and War Songs

_**Alternative name: The Crying Flame**_

 _ **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**_

 _ **Brightpaw32:**_ Hello there friend :) Thank you for reviewing my stories and putting so much effort into your reviews, I really appreciate the sentiment and hope I'm in your good books ;) I completely agree with you concerning the 2003 vs Brotherhood chapter, I admit I haven't been quite myself while writing it and I regretted including too many characters but I WILL change it once the opportunity offers itself :) T_T Well...your reviews very much touched me and I'm very moved to hear your compliments all thrown my way ^^ Grammarwise, there's a lot I need to fix still and thanks for the small tips to aid me ;) Ah, well I try to incorporate a mixture of different genres in my stories (especially one shot collections) but I still need to improve my humor a bit more ^.^ I'll be seeing you around! :)

* * *

 **Of Tears and War Songs**

 _Graves littered the expanse of the meadow, but he paid them no heed, passing by them on his journey to freedom, to redemption. The sides of his coat tickled the sharp blades of the graves, but when he actually looked at them, they were no graves. They were swords, all of them were, swords imbedded in the ground, each symbolizing the defeat of an enemy, of a human, by his hands. And the sword in his chest symbolized his own._

Throwing away the white gloves marked with a transmutation circles to the ground, he stepped over them as he made his way up toward the steep hill that only seemed steeper the longer he walked.

He ignored the excruciating pain in his chest, he ignored the blood dripping from the hole in his chest, a hole physically not there, but the blood was and he almost thought he was hallucinating by this point.

Clutching at the bleeding fabric at his chest, Roy found he had no injury, he didn't know why he was bleeding, why he was feeling so empty and why he felt like he had gotten run over by a dozen of duty issued military vehicles.

He also didn't know why he was here.

In his own personal hell, one might say.

The further he walked the path, he started seeing people, or images of them passing him by.

The first one had been the sad, grieving expression of his aunt, attending his parents' funeral, he was small back then, but bits and pieces he remembered.

Another image showed her taking care of him, cleaning him, enrolling him in school, scolding him for doing something brash...and she was smiling. He wasn't quite able to remember when she stopped smiling, most probably when he had joined the military...or when he became a State Alchemist. Either way, the most common expression he had seen on her face was a frown, a smirk or a deadpanned expression that told him he said something stupid.

But he knew she cared, hardened by the events and tragedies that had transpired around him, raising him on her own and taking the underrated job at her brothel, she cared. And Roy had learned to read between the lines with her, seeing the tiny lifts of her lips and the flash of relief in her eyes when he would walk into the bar after long months of not communicating, looking safe and well.

Another image appeared.

It was master Berthold, the man that had taught him alchemy, everything he knew. The late flame alchemist had been of brilliant mind but of a cold exterior, often neglecting his daughter in favor of teaching Roy alchemy or treating him none too gently when he didn't understand something.

His teaching methods had been harsh but knowledgeable, something Roy could work with to expand his own view on alchemy and master it with every new mastered step.

His death had hit Roy hard, he had known the old alchemist had been ill but...

And the funeral with Riza...she had lost her father, her home and he felt like he was to answer to. He wanted to give her what she had lost, at least a home she felt safe in.

The other image was Riza.

His most trusted Lieutenant, the woman that had been by his side since day one, the soldier he thanked and pledged his life to...

The woman he fell in love with.

His team had followed, everyone, Hughes, Havoc, Breda, Kain, Falman...everyone...

Edward and Alphonse, those two boys had grown close to his heart, a detail he would only reluctantly admit. He had seen a little bit of himself in them, a wandering boy, a boy who lost his relatives...

His comrades greeted him as well, the Armstrong siblings, the chimeras, Greed the Homunculus, Ling and his entourage.

But then they vanished.

In a flicker of flames, _his_ flames and suddenly, he was unable to see the hill, see the steep pathway leading to redemption.

All he saw was red.

All he felt was heat.

Unbearable heat that threatened to cut his air supply and melt the flesh from his bones...

His very own flames...

 _Colonel!_

His eyes opened and the crackling fire greeted him again but he swore he heard a voice.

 _Colonel!_

There...somewhere within the raging flames...somewhere...he followed it, fire licking at his body but he paid the pain no heed.

He needed to hear that voice again.

 _Colonel!_

 _Colonel!_

His eyes widened in realization. He recognized that voice, it was-!

"Colonel!" he heard her shout, it wasn't a figment of his imagination this time and when he slowly cracked open his eyes and saw his most loyal subordinate, the woman he secretly fell for, run towards him with tears in her eyes, he knew he was saved, he was alive.

"You idiot!" she barked and he thought she would have slapped him had his injuries not been so severe.

He managed a throaty chuckle and her glare softened slightly into a smile, shaking her head, "What am I going to do with you?"

He would have countered with a snarky remark but he was too tired to, content to simply lay in a small puddle of his own blood and endure the pain the gesture of Alphonse lifting him into his arms brought him.

Instead, he focused on her.

On her eyes, the guns littering the ground, the ashen marks streaked all over across the floor, a reminder that the Flame Alchemist was there, had eradicated an enemy.

But this death.

The death of the Homunculus Lust.

He would not add to his long list of sins to be repented, when he looked back at Riza he knew why.

Lust had been trying to kill Riza, an act he could and would never be able to forgive, regardless of who had tried killing her.

Hurting or even _attempting_ to hurt Riza Hawkeye was one of the things sane people didn't do if they valued their life, not if they knew he was around or within reach to burn them alive.

It was one of the things he was proud to let people know, subtly or otherwise, that if anyone as much as looked crossly at her they would taste the burnt flesh of their own tongue in their mouths.

When he gazed upon her, fussing and worrying over him, he couldn't help but smile.

The flames disappeared, his gloves were back on, his friends were alright and he didn't feel the heat anymore.

Riza was alive.

And so was he.

 _Glowing embers were the only remains of the fire that had spread, reminders of the destructive power flames could leave. A single tear dropped into the seemingly endless sea of red and heat and the flames were extinguished. The tear of a man who had lost everything burned brighter than any flame could hope to stand up to him. Another tear, another cry, another dying flame. And with it, the fire vanished._


	118. Homunculi in Love

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Next chapter coming up! It's an idea from the Requests list, please enjoy!

 **NEXT CHAPTER:** Next chapter will be titled " **Attack on Homunculus"** a **crossover** with FMA:B and Attack on Titan (published here AND separately)!

 **QUESTION:** A friend suggested I compose "Write My Life", it's similar to "Draw my Life" but only in written form, what do you think? OR my idea was to write a "Write My Life" of another character (for example from the FMA fandom instead of myself ^^ since I'm not that interesting lol).

 _Warning: Pride/Selim is OOC here, Greed may be just a bit OOC! You've been warned! Randomness ahead!_

 **Homunculi in Love**

"So, have anything to do after school?" the younger Mustang asked him curiously as they walked in the direction towards home.

The young man with short dark haired hummed thoughtfully, "Nothing in particular, I think. Though I thought to visit the Fullmetal Alchemist today, it's been a while after all," he smiled slightly, remembering at a time back when his greatest dream of meeting and befriending the Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric personally became true.

It had come as a surprise, especially since he learned his mother actually knew him too. They almost behaved like old friends, smiling and talking. Selim often wondered how it came to that, but his mother would only offer a secretive if not a slightly pained smile and a distant look in her eyes whenever he asked.

He hadn't asked again after that, he never asked about his father, the late Führer King Bradley anymore as well. Everyone had accepted he had died a tragical death caught up in war and so had he.

Ren rose an eyebrow, "Oh, cool. Hey, would you mind getting his autograph for me? That guy is a legend!" his eyes sparkled and Selim sighed, a small smile on his face.

"...I could ask, but he doesn't like giving out autographs much," he had to chuckle at that, "Wait...your father and him are friends...he's practically your uncle...just why...?" Ren huffed, crossing his arms.

"It was just a question, jeez..." Selim couldn't help but shake his head, sighing.

" _Selim!_ " a familiar feminine voice cried out from behind the two teenage boys and Selim had to smile at who he saw was running towards them.

"Eileen!" he waved her over, fighting down the grin threatening to take over his features.

The girl came to a stop just in front of him, smiling, "Hey Selim, I was uh...wondering if you've got time after school?" she smiled impishly.

Selim didn't miss a beat, "Sure,"

His friend guffawed, pointing an accusing finger at him, " _Liar!_ "

Eileen glanced questioningly at the older male, before smirking, "Jealous, Mustang?" she stuck her tongue at him and Selim had to cover his laugh.

Ren's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, " _Excuse me?_ Don't go hogging Selim all to yourself, you know? Ugh, man, I didn't even _start_ on my aiming lessons, mom is gonna kill me!" his expression was one of agony as he ran his hands down his face.

Selim rose an eyebrow, "Why do you need me for your aiming lessons? Ask Greed," he deadpanned, slightly amused at his friend's agony.

Renier frowned, "I can't...uncle Greed's too busy spoiling Emi and Ava...and auntie Lena...and your shadows make for excellent targets!" he shot his best friend his best puppy eyes, " _Please?"_

Selim sighed heavily, shooting a apologetic look at Eileen, she nodded, smiling, "Don't worry about it, we can...meet up later?" she grinned.

Selim felt a tug at his heart but he ignored it, nodding back at her.

The glare he gave Ren sent shivers down his spine that spoke of the horrible things that would await him as soon as Eileen was out of sight.

"Oh, I see, sorry for holding up your date there but you won't see _me_ tomorrow because mom will fry me alive once she finds out I didn't do my homework!" he pouted comically.

Selim sighed heavily, "...From all those stories I heard from auntie Riza...you're definitely the son of the Führer..." he rolled his eyes, one of his shadows slapping Ren's legs for punishment.

" _I saw that!"_ the enraged shout made Selim grin.

* * *

Greed's expression bordered on downright amusement, "The great Pride, oldest, shittiest brat to ever walk the earth, is asking _me_ for dating advice? How the mighty have fallen, eh _big bro_?" Greed laughed, running a hand down his face at Pride's sour expression.

Lena suddenly whacked him on the head, "Greed! Stop laughing at your brother and help him!" she shot Pride a apologetic look.

Making a split second decision, Pride turned to Lena, "...Do you have the time?"

The woman wasted no time in shooing her husband out, ordering him to make them both tea and send them some cookies, she ignored the grumblings and complains.

"I'm sorry Pride, he can be such an _ASS SOMETIMES_ ," she shouted the last part so her husband heard it, Lena focused back on the task at hand after hearing a displeased growl sounding from the kitchen, "How can I help?" she asked seriously, eyes trained on him.

The teenaged boy sighed, doubt washing over him at coming to this house but then again who should he ask? The Elrics were away for a impromptu delivery in Rush Valley, he wouldn't be caught dead asking former legendary womanizer and current Führer for _dating advice_ and the Emperor from Xing was well...in Xing...

"I have a meeting with Eileen in an hour and-" before he could finish his sentence, Lena's grin grew wide.

"Eileen? That sweet little girl? Wait a second, isn't she Kimblee's daughter?" casting a quick glance at the kitchen, Lena shouted, "Greed! Do you know if Kimblee's daughter's name is Eileen?"

There was a moment of silence, before Greed roared the answer back, "Eileen? Yeah, that's the runt from the nut job!" followed by a lower sounding, "Can't believe the guy's gotten laid..."

Ignoring this, Lena turned her focus back on Pride, "Alright, continue," she smiled sweetly.

"...I have a meeting with Eileen in an hour but I haven't familiarized myself with human customs concerning...courtship and the like," his purple eyes flashed, "Well, I haven't had the pleasure of interacting with the opposite gender aside from tearing them apart with my shadows centuries ago really..."

Lena shivered at the mental image, before she cleared her throat, "Right...just make sure you don't use your shadows on her or Kimblee will have your head. Homunculi or not, he _can_ and _will_ kill you," she sounded serious, too serious, before her face broke into a smile, "Right, back on the problem again,"

Pride hid his face in his hands, "So you're saying you don't know how to approach a girl romantically and how to go from there, correct?" Pride nodded.

"Greed!" Lena called for her husband, whose head popped up from the corner, "Come here!"

The former Homunculus frowned, "Oi, oi, I'm preparing your tea woman!" he huffed in annoyance but obeyed, shooting her a questioning gaze.

"The tea can wait sweetheart! Right now, this troubled soul needs our help!" resting her hands on her hips she motioned toward Pride, the Homunculus felt about ready to be swallowed up by the earth and never to be spat out again.

Greed groaned, "I have a bad feeling about this..."

Lena shook her head, "Nonsense! Now let's show Pride how to approach a girl," Lena was completely serious, "Alright, you'll be the girl-"

Greed interrupted her before it came to the worst, "Shouldn't _you_ be the girl?" his eyebrows shot to his hairline, not liking where this was going.

Lena sighed, "...Fine," she looked down at Pride, "Anyway, first off let's show Pride how you courted me,"

Greed snickered at that and moved close to his wife, devious, devil may care smirk on his lips, "Alright runt, first off, when the girl attempts to murder you, try to act innocent and don't provoke her. The worst thing you can do is try making flirty passes at her so-"

Lena's face burned, "No, no, no! _Don't tell him how our first meeting went!"_ her ears were burning by this point.

Greed grinned, "What? But I thought you wanted me to tell him how I finally won you over,"

Lena sighed, "...Just to be clear, me saving you from a angry mob of villagers and accusing you falsely of groping me in a sewer was _not_ how you 'won me over'," Pride's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, "Anyway," turning her attention back to Pride, "It took a lot of time, but eventually I learned he wasn't such a bad guy, despite being what he had been back then," her smile grew soft, "He was...actually pretty cool, a bit of a jerk, but he had a heart of gold beneath all that carbon he covered himself with," she giggled, "Imagine my surprise when, after being completely exhausted and injured from a fight with Gluttony, he came knocking at my door with half wilted flowers in one hand, food in his other and asked if we could trash talk about you lot..." she wiped a imaginary tear from her eyes, "That...had also been the day I lost my virginity to him," she sniffled, blushing.

Pride's eyes widened, feeling the overwhelmingly strong urge to flee until Lena suddenly laughed, waving it off, "Nah, don't worry that hadn't been the night," for a moment, she looked uncertain, looking at Greed, "...right?"

Greed shot her a dirty look, "...Want me to refresh your memory?" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Lena slapped his arm.

"Ahem...I remember now. Nope, that hadn't been it. Anyway, all the important parts you need to remember is always be a gentleman to her," she counted off on her fingers, "Let her make her own decisions but ask for her opinion, don't pressure her into doing things she may dislike, try to do something that will be fun for the both of you and there are no "rules" on dates really." She shrugged, "You just do what you like and what's fun for you. You don't need to rush things too, you guys are still young...well you're still _physically_ young and just because it's your first date with a human doesn't mean you'll end up courting her later," she smiled warmly down at him.

Pride considered this, taking the bits and pieces of information that had been actually _useful_ into account, he shot a look at Greed, "You deflowered her while she was injured?" his eyebrow rose, "You're not Lust and even _she_ didn't have those tastes,"

Greed shouted in his ear comically," It was a joke!" he growled, "Besides, she wasn't Miss Innocent either," he huffed, narrowing his eyes.

Lena was right up in his face, "Now what's _that_ supposed to mean, Greed?" she dared him to say the wrong thing.

Greed visibly struggled, "...I'm just saying we weren't innocent little kids when we had our relationship!" he mumbled under his breath, "...or anything that followed that either," she elbowed him none too gently.

And when Pride slipped away from the bickering couple's house, he kept asking himself when he had decided he was suicidal and swore to never set foot inside that house again.

" _Hm...she's just a human after all...I imagine it's not so difficult going on these "dates",_ " Pride had lived for centuries, long enough to view how humans interacted with each-other, romantically or otherwise, but he had always considered such behavior far too below his status.

He wondered idly what happened to that status as he bid goodbye to his mother and made his way toward a fountain in Central where they agreed to meet for their 'date'.

 _...just because it's your first date with a human doesn't mean you'll end up courting her later..._

" _Hmm...I admit, her advice is praiseworthy once Greed doesn't taint her in his presence..."_ he sighed, " _I pity her for her bad tastes in men though..."_ Pride straightened himself when he spotted a figure sitting by the fountain and he couldn't help the little smile from showing on his face.

"Hello Eileen, I hadn't imagined you to be so early for our meeting," he greeted politely, mentally patting himself on the back. That's how you greet your date, right?

He froze when the figure sitting behind the fountain suddenly rose, being much larger and taller than Eileen, easily the height of Greed or Roy Mustang.

The stranger in white smirked, a bloody smirk painted on a pale face with hardened, murderous violet eyes, "Oh, you know I hate to keep my guests waiting, _Pride_ ,"

Pride swallowed hard, fear enveloping him in a vice, " _Kimblee?"_

Kimblee smirked.

 _Alternate Ending:_

Pride swallowed hard, fear enveloping him in a vice, " _Kimblee?"_

Kimblee smirked, "What? No flowers?" his eyes flashed.

 **That's the end for a random one shot! Look above at Author's Notes for the Question! Thank you! :)**


	119. And he would smile

**A/N:** Apologies dear readers, this is just a short chapter I've been dying to finally publish, it's been sitting days on my laptop now and I had to publish it BEFORE publishing **Attack on Homunculus**!

 **QUESTION:** Am I writing too many **Lena fics?** Should I stop? I can leave her out and exclusively write (or write more) about the original characters of FMA:B if you guys want!

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** Oh? Really? Hm..well, I'm not quite sure yet but maybe I'll write about both if interest is high enough. OR just about a character from the FMA universe. But thanks for the answer! :)

* * *

 **And he would smile...**

 _He would smile and ask if they were friends, she would laugh and say 'yes'. He would laugh and ask if they were family, and she would smile back at him and nod her head. He would grin and hug her tightly and say 'I'm home' and she would smile and hug him back and say, 'Welcome home'._

The broken screams and painful cries of a woman that had lost nearly everything dear to her were the only sounds on the battlefield.

The battle was over and so was the war.

They've managed to beat Father but at a high price.

Many casualties ensued, lives lost and families torn apart. Just like this one.

She was gripping the dark material of his coat tightly in her arms, tears soaking into the material she refused to let go, as if it were her lifeline, her only grasp on reality at the moment.

When Ed cautiously approached her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, her sobs didn't cease. His own eyes were glistening, incredible sadness washing over him despite saving the world a few moments ago. It was what they've lost that got to him.

Greed had sacrificed himself to weaken Father so much and make him vulnerable so Ed could've been able to deliver the final blow. It was with all of their combined efforts that they've managed to beat him.

But now...

"He's gone Ed..." when Lena lifted her head to look up at her friend, the tears didn't stop, the broken expression on her face broke Ed's heart and he gently pulled her in close for a hug, squeezing her tighter when he felt her cry into his torn shirt.

The battlefield was silent save for her cries and sobs, muffled by his shirt as she cried into him. He tried to comfort her as much as he could, but he knew the pain would be there for a long, long time until it lessened with time.

Pain never went away, time could never make it go away, it could just lessen it so it's bearable. And Ed had a feeling she would recover hard from this.

Gently stroking her blood and dirt covered hair, Ed sighed heavily, "I know Lena...I know..." he resisted the urge to cry, for her sake, she didn't need both of them to break down and cry. She had shown her support when Hughes died, so now he was going to show his, an event he thought he wouldn't have to do in the near future.

Her cries destroyed his heart, "H-He's gone...j-just...h-he just-!" she gripped him tightly, "H-he just w-went away! That s-s-stupid, s-stupid jerk!" she choked, "H-He just...j-just left! He..." she trembled violently, voice falling into a mere whisper, "...He's d-dead..."

Ed squeezed his eyes shut, hugging her tighter, he swallowed hard, "I-I know...I'm sorry, Lena...I'm so sorry..." he trembled himself when he felt her choked sobs, gently rubbing her back to try and soothe her hopelessly.

He felt how her head lifted from his chest, looking at something over his shoulder, before his eyes widened when he was violently shoved away, Lena jumping over him and picking up her staff from the ground nearby, heading full speed towards Ling.

"Lena!" she ignored Ed's cry, eyes zeroing in on the sitting prince with his head hanging down.

Lan Fan immediately sprang into action, deflecting the blade with her kunai, both women trembled at the force Lena displayed, " _Move_!" Lena growled, pushing against Lan Fan's trembling weapon.

"Lena, snap out of this! You don't want to hurt the young Lord!" Lan Fan stood her ground but with a powerful kick to her legs, she fell to the floor with a surprised cry and suddenly, Ling's sad, nearly lifeless eyes looked up at Lena, the tears that were running down her face, the blade of her staff how it was poised dangerously close to his throat and the absolute _fury_ displayed in her eyes.

The tears wouldn't stop coming and her words were pure acid, " _You!_ " her staff trembled in her grip, "It was _you_ that killed him!" her eyes would have been a menacing red had she been a Homunculus, "Because of _you_ Greed isn't here anymore!" the tears flowed rapidly down her eyes, her vision of Ling blurring, "He would...he would have-!" she shut her eyes closed, fat tears sliding down her chin.

Her eyes shot open when she felt a tug on her weapon and when her vision cleared, she saw Ling's hand had curled around the wooden shaft of her Quandao, "Kill me then," dark, lifeless eyes looked up at her and it momentarily stunned her.

"Ling..." Ed whispered from somewhere to the left, having joined the scene to prevent the worst from happening.

Alphonse and Mei watched with rapt, horrified expressions how the scene unfolded, Mei clutching at the thin Alphonse tightly, a look of fear in her eyes at seeing Lena so bloodthirsty.

Lena trembled in outrage, the sharp blade moving a bit closer to Ling, "Tch, you wanna die?! Is that it?! After you finished Greed off you wanna die now too?!" she choked on her next words, "I've lost the man I love! I've lost him because I wasn't strong enough, because he was a damn fool to run to his _death_!" her hands trembled, "But _you_ could have stopped him Ling! Why didn't you?! _Why?!"_

Ling's nearly emotionless eyes fixed themselves on her, "...Because...he pushed me away," his voice broke slightly, "...we were about to be sucked in by Father...but the bastard tricked me and punched me...he said I needed to stay alive and take care of you...he..." he grit his teeth, his hand clutching the shaft of the weapon tighter, "He told me he didn't want...t-to die in vain if..if all was lost, if you got hurt..." he met her gaze again, "So kill me Lena, _I_ was the one that killed him, because I agreed with his stupid plan to come close to Father! I should've seen through the plan sooner, I should've stopped him when I could!" he was shouting now, his voice broken and just as distraught as Lena's own, "But I didn't! I deserve this! I deserve death!" he moved the bade directly to his throat, "So kill me Lena! _Kill me!_ "

Before anything else happened, Roy's voice rang out from somewhere in the back, "Lieutenant," and in the next minute, Lena heard footsteps approaching her, accompanied by softer ones guiding him toward where she was standing and a familiar, heavy hand rested on her shoulder.

"Lena...listen to me," Roy's voice penetrated her ears and she bit her lip, rage and sadness and grief filling her heart and clouding her mind, "I know how're you feeling, believe me, I _do_ ," Riza frowned at that, averting her gaze to the ground as she stood to the side, "But you mustn't allow those emotions to take over you, that _rage_ ," his hand gripped her shoulder tightly, "That rage will drive you into a corner, into darkness you will never know how to escape from if you let it consume you," she bit back a sob, trembling, "It's alright to cry and grief and be angry, but not at someone who is innocent," his gaze moved to Ling, "It wasn't him that killed Greed, Lena. Greed did it himself, he did what he thought needed to be done to win this war and save the world he lived in," his own voice lowered, "He wanted to save the world _you_ were living in, all of us here together."

Lena breathed heavily, pained eyes focused on Ling, the way he tightly gripped the shaft of her weapon, looking like he would greet death like an old friend.

" _But...why? Why does he want to die? Why?!"_ she shut her eyes tightly closed, her whole body trembling.

Roy's voice brought her back from her dark thoughts, "Had Greed not done what he did, we would all be dead now and this world as well. He went against his own nature to sacrifice himself and save everyone, he wasn't even thinking _one second_ of saving _himself_ ," Roy's voice turned gentle toward the end, giving her shoulder a final, firm but gentle squeeze, "Think again...is this really the man that killed him?"

Lena blinked shakily blinking away the tears until she could see again and when she looked upon the kneeling Ling again, her eyes widened in realization.

The dark eyes he rarely let show were open, nearly lifelessly staring at her, tightly clutching the shaft of her weapon and for the first time since she pointed it at him, she noticed his hand was trembling. She noticed the deep seated grief reflected in his eyes, the sag of his body, as if he was defeated and gave up, the tear tracks marring his face and the redness around his eyes. She saw the nail-like imprints carved messily into the insides of his palms from digging his nails into them and clenching his fists so tightly.

She saw him. Ling.

And for a brief moment, she saw Greed's features again, the roguish grin and sharp laugh and smooth voice.

How she got to know him and eventually fell in love with him.

How he would always greet her with a large smile and a tight hug and say, " _I'm home,_ " despite not having their own house to call it that.

Words he had uttered only weeks before resurfaced in her mind. It had been the time she asked him why he kept saying 'he was home' when they had none yet.

And he would smile and say, " _Because you're my home,"_

Trembling hands released her weapon as it fell with a metallic _clang_ on the ground at her feet and Roy retreated slightly when she launched herself at Ling, whose eyes widened when she hugged him.

His eyes were wide, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes, "W-Wha-?"

Lena's voice broke, hands fisting the material of Ling's shirt tightly, "I'm sorry Ling...I...I'm so sorry..." she trembled against his frozen state, "...It wasn't you that killed him, it never was, I know that I was just...I..." she released a shaky breath, "I don't hate you, I never could you stupid glutton!" she chuckled shakily, smiling, "We're friends, we always will be. You did everything you could have done, you tried to save him Ling and that's all that matters. You fought for everyone's sake, you're a hero just as much as Ed is or Mustang or anyone here today in this battlefield,"

Silence befell them for a few minutes before Ling slowly wrapped his arms around her trembling form, burying his face against her neck, the tears spilling hot and salty down his face, "L-Lena..." he choked, "I'm sorry...s-so sorry..."

The two friends cried like that, in each-other's embrace and Lena shook her head, "Silly...don't be sorry,"

Ed released the breath he didn't realize he was holding, looking up at the sky in sadness.

 _Thank you...my friends..._

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Ed grinned shakily, his bangs covering his face partially, "Heh...I hope you can rest easy now Greed..." golden eyes locked on the crying friends, "Everything will be alright now..."

Roy smiled in his direction, following the sound of his voice and nodded. Ed nodded back despite Roy not seeing it but he had a feeling he knew.

Everything would be alright.

* * *

 _Years later..._

Lena slowly opened her eyes and when she shot up in surprise, scanning the unknown completely white terrain about her she didn't know where she was.

She rested a hand on her back, finding she didn't have any back pains anymore, her skin wasn't wrinkly either and when she brought a few strands of her hair in front of her face, they weren't grey anymore.

They were the same color she used to have when she was young, a dark chocolate brown, they looked healthy, she...she was young again.

But why? Wasn't she on her death bed?

Looking around, Lena spotted the only being she could perceive as 'Truth', grinning at her gently. Shakily, she stood up, dusting herself off. She remembered Ed telling her of his encounters with Truth and what it looked like, but this 'Truth' had a feminine figure, rather than the masculine one Ed had encountered.

She supposed Truth would take on the form of anyone it encountered at the Gates.

Truth giggled, a feminine sound escaping it, "I've been waiting for you, little lady," Lena rose an eyebrow.

"For me? Why? I was supposed to...die right now," oddly enough, she felt at peace, lighter...for some reason.

Truth chuckled again, "Yes, you did in fact die. But I've sent you over here on a little detour, you see," she watched the figure in white stand up and motion for her to come closer.

"A detour?" she tilted her head questioningly when Truth indicated once again to come closer and reluctantly, she complied.

She was standing in front of a Gate, most likely her own and she spoke before Truth could, "There's nothing more you can take from me," she smiled serenely, "You can't harm my friends now and you've already taken the man I love,"

Truth grinned nevertheless, chuckling, "Oh, how I adore you humans! So foolish sometimes!" almost seeming coy, Truth pressed a hand to its invisible lips, "Come and see for yourself," it placed its hands on her shoulders and gave her a light push, "I don't think you'll be disappointed,"

Lena turned her head to look one last time at the deity, Truth only grinned. Lena sighed and moved on, opening one side of the massive double doors with some difficulty, being nearly blinded by stark white light shining from it.

She could hear Truth's voice from behind her before she was being sucked in, "Have a good, long rest, alchemist,"

Truth's chuckles still echoed in her ears when her feet finally found purchase on solid, white ground.

Again, she was surrounded by white but this time her eyes zeroed in on a figure standing not too far from her.

Immediately, her eyes filled with tears when she instantly recognized the Xingese features, distorted by a very familiar roguish grin and sharp but warm violet eyes, "G-Greed?"

The Homunculus grinned, "Hey there, sweets," his voice had the same smooth, deep quality she remembered and she didn't even try to stop herself from launching herself on him.

The chuckle reverberating in his chest when he caught her in his arms sent pleasant vibrations through her and she relished in the familiar, strong embrace she had been deprived for so, so many years, "It's really you..." she didn't bother wiping at the tears of joy.

"And looking as hot as ever," he chuckled at his own joke and she couldn't help but giggle along, burying her face against him.

"I'm home, Lena," he affectionately caressed her head and she gave him a soft, deep kiss.

When they broke apart, her smile was real and bright and warm, "Welcome home," he bumped his nose gently against hers and she knew this was where she wanted to be all along.

 **Alright, apologies for making you all wait! I wanted to release this before I officially publish "Attack on Homunculus" tomorrow in the evening! :) Hope you all enjoyed! ;)**


	120. Attack on Homunculus

**_A/N:_** Alright! This is the chapter some of you and (especially) **Bob** have been waiting for! I just want to say how sorry I am for taking so long to write this, I've been preoccupied with other stories and rather...insistent readers. (clears throat) anyway, I hope you all enjoy it! I have to confess, I've taken a particular liking toward Levi and his battle prowess and the way he makes use of the **3DMG** (3D Moving Gear or alternatively _vertical maneuvering equipment)_. Got me freaking hooked!

Right, fangirling comes later, for now enjoy this little piece! ;)

 **WARNING:** I'll give a fair warning since this _is_ my very first crossover fic and I'm not sure if I've combined the elements of both universes all that well here. I may come back to it and edit it again though! Since this is Attack on Titan we're writing about, fair warning for mentions of blood and gore!

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **KindaSpaceyButNotReally (aka GrumpyCatWriter101):** hahah sorry for the tears my friend, but I'm touched about hitting a few feels with my chapters ^^ (Yeah, I figured, since I panicked for a moment that I possibly have ignored a reader for so long that I don't even recognize their username anymore, when I went onto your profile everything became clear ^^)

 **Guest:** Ah, could you use a username by chance? I hate to address my readers informally with "Guest1" or "Guest2" so I always appreciate names :) Anyway, welcome to my little collection of one shots! :) Thank you so, so much for the compliments! If you have any complains/ideas/suggestions don't hesitate to write them! Ahh, Scar, I really didn't write him much here did I? Your request is noted! I'll be sure to include him in my next one shots! Thanks! ;)

 **Lily:** haha aww ^^

 **ChibiestMoon:** haha I'm glad you enjoyed it! :) Thanks for reading my one shot collection! ^^

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters whether from Fullmetal Alchemist or from Attack on Titan, everything goes to their respective owners! I only own the plot and my OC (Lena)!_**

* * *

 **Attack on Homunculus**

"What exactly is this?" Roy scrutinized the strange looking transmutation circle, arms crossed skeptically.

Ed scratched his head, "...I'm not really sure..." Roy face palmed, "It was supposed to be a variation of Alkahestry with a bit of western alchemy..." he grinned uneasily, looking at the oddly written circles and symbols.

There was the distinct pentagram reminiscent of Alkahestry acting as the outer circle, a hexagram of Western alchemy was located within it and another far smaller pentagram was the innermost circle, every circle was connected and only one kunai blade was placed in the center of the whole transmutation circle.

Alphonse sighed, "Brother accidentally mistranslated a text we kindly received from the South and applied the formulas into the circle...however," he shook his head, "We aren't quite sure what it does,"

Roy rubbed his chin thoughtfully, looking back to look at Lena, "What do you think?"

She stared intently at the intricate symbols and markings, recognizing most but some others were completely unknown to her, "It's familiar for the most part, but I never saw some of the symbols before, I assume they are from the South?" Ed nodded in agreement, "Hm...no idea, maybe it could be the portal to hell or maybe it doesn't do a thing," she shrugged.

Roy smirked smugly, "Figures, not even two weeks after you've required your alchemy back you've already dived into strange satanic rituals, Fullmetal," his smirk grew larger when Ed was instantly in his face, waving his fist at him threateningly.

"It's not satanic you moron! It's perfectly normal alchemy!" he growled with a intense glare, "...for the most part," he finished off lamely, causing Al to sigh heavily.

Lena titled her head, stepping closer to the circle, "Well, why don't we try it?" she rubbed her hands together excitedly, before she was sharply pulled back by a strong hand on her shoulder, "Oof!"

"Hands to yourself woman," Greed spoke from behind her, his tall form towering over her by a head, a displeased frown on his face, "Don't make me remind you how you nearly set our house on fire," he hissed, still stingy about the fact she nearly destroyed one of his favorite coats.

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms like a scolded child, "...Hey, I was learning flame alchemy and I may have overdid it a bit..." she glared right back, " And I apologized for your stupid coat didn't I? It's not even charred okay?!"

Greed wrapped his arm around Lena's head, pulling her head against his chest to gently rub his knuckles into her skull, "Oi, oi, my coat ain't stupid!" she playfully tried getting away, shooting half hearted insults at him that made Al scoot closer to Roy for protection.

Roy smirked, "Ah, young love..." he snickered at the bickering pair, thankfully they didn't hear him, Lena too busy trying to stick her fingers up Greed's nose.

Ed grinned, "So you finally admit you're old eh?" earning a burning glare from Roy.

"Well...I think it's safe to assume we shouldn't try using the transmutation circle since we don't know what it does," Alphonse deduced, already seeing the evil look his brother had.

A wrench hit him in the head just before Ed was about to say something stupid, "You are _not_ going to use that you hear me alchemy freak?!" Winry's voice boomed in the room and Greed winced sympathetically when Winry made a threatening motion to swing her wrench at him again.

Lena snorted softly, "I see marriage does wonders for you two," she grinned, discreetly fist bumping Greed.

Ed groaned, rubbing his head as he shakily stood up, "Yeah, it's doing wonders for my head every time one of her wrenches hit me," he scowled softly in the direction of his wife, "Where do you hide them all anyway?" he eyed her body curiously, earning a warning glare from her.

"That's for me to know and for you to question forever," she replied smartly, drawing her gaze back to the alchemical circle, "So, you drew a transmutation circle but you have no idea what it does?" she arched a pale eyebrow in question.

Lena supplied with a hand gesture, "Basically yeah, only problem is we can't just leave it," Winry shot her friend a confused look at that.

"...And why _not_?" Winry already suspected Lena was about to say something stu-

"Because I really, really wanna see what it does!" she jumped up and down excitedly, slapping Greed's forearm repeatedly in her excitement.

At Roy's confused and mildly disturbed gaze, he clarified blankly, as if been asked too many times already, "She gets violent when she's excited," Roy nodded at the simple explanation.

"No, I don't!" she slapped him one last time for good measure, prompting Greed to shoot her a _look_.

Ed cleared his throat, "Hey Al, where's Mei anyway?" maybe the little Xingese woman could help them solve this puzzle, "Or Ling for that matter?" looking around, the two were nowhere to be found.

Alphonse smiled nervously, "Uhm...Ling is raiding the fridge and I think Mei is helping him..." Ed's expression grew dark as he frantically ran out of his late father's old study.

"I _knew_ I shouldn't have let the little bastard outta my sight!" Ed's shout of outrage followed by Ling's pained yelp could be heard clearly from the kitchen.

Greed scratched his cheek, "Glad I'm not stuck in his body anymore, that would have been a pain in the ass," he scoffed and Lena smirked.

"Especially considering you two love different women, I wonder how that would have played out had doctor Marcoh not managed to separated you," Greed shivered violently at the thought of it, already picturing cursing and bloodshed.

Lena snickered, "Hm...I'm almost a bit disappointed...I would have loved seeing you and Ling bicker back and forth and try to take Lan Fan and I out on dates," she giggled, gently elbowing Greed's side.

The Homunculus had a evil grin on his face, "Oh yeah? What about sleeping next to each-other during the night?"

At that, Lena's giggles ceased and her expression grew horrified, nestling herself into Greed's arms to hug him tightly, "Don't ever leave me you stupid Homunculus!" her muffled cry into his shirt prompted Greed to laugh and gently caress her head, snickering at her reaction.

Clearing his throat, Ed returned, a beat up looking Ling in tow and a very apologetic Mei next to him, her head bowed.

Alphonse sighed softly, "Oh Mei..." he shook his head and patted her head, nearly falling over when her arms were suddenly around him.

"I'm sorry Alphonse! I just couldn't resist!" she cried into his shirt, comical tears spilling from her eyes in rapid succession as she hugged her significant other tighter.

Ed rolled his eyes, "I actually dragged you from your food raiding spree to see if you recognize this," he motioned toward the transmutation circle on the floor.

Ling and Mei turned serious, sobering up from the haze the smell and taste of food had put them in.

Ling's eyes narrowed, "Hm...I recognize most of the symbols but..." he turned to look down at the Xingese princess, "Do you...think what I do?" he rose an eyebrow and Mei's frown deepened.

The young woman rubbed her chin, "Yeah...it reminds me of it," at her friends confused gazes, Mei offered to explain, "Long ago, alkahestrists have tried employing different types of symbols into their Alkahestry, to try and create a new form of alchemy opposed to Western one and our own." She shared a look with Ed and sighed, "They succeeded, or at least in the sense that they created a new form of alchemy. In reality, when alkahestrists tried to activate the circle, many of them vanished. We tried analyzing the texts and formulas and try to find out what happened but the only conclusion we could take was that they have been sent somewhere else,"

Al's eyes widened, "Wait...you mean like time travel? But that's impossible!"

Greed couched into his hand, "...It was also impossible that the runt got his alchemy back but what do you know..." Ed fixed him with a grumpy look before concentrating back on Mei.

"No, nothing like time travel, more like being sent to a different world. A different world than the one we know, that place, if one believes the texts, aren't located anywhere within the world we know..." she watched the stunned expressions on her friends faces, "I don't know where we may be sent if we activate it,"

Ed hummed thoughtfully, "Is there a way to make it back?"

Mei frowned, "I'm not sure, since there have been no records prior to it..." she played with her fingers, uncertain.

"I'm in!" Ling suddenly shouted and surprisingly, it was Lena that shouted, _"What?"_

Ling looked at his surprised friends, "It's been a while since we've been on an adventure with our lives going the way they are. I think there is no harm done in going for a new adventure," he grinned, "Besides, maybe we can use alchemy at that other world and just teleport us back here,"

Winry frowned, "But what if you can't Ling? There's no telling where we will end up or if you're able to use alchemy to bring us back," blue eyes showed her insecurity, "What if we won't make it back?"

The group fell silent and Roy looked like he wanted to protest until Ed suddenly squeezed his arm firmly. The General looked at him questioningly, but the blond stayed silent.

Ed rose his hands placatingly in the air, "You know what, you're right Winry." He looked at the stunned blonde, "It's dangerous and we don't know if there's a way back for us," he sighed heavily, "I guess it's no use. We'll wipe it away then," he hung his head down, sighing heavily again.

Winry blinked, before slowly looking at her fiancé, "...Um...alright, you do that." She turned to look at Lena and Mei, "Care to join me? I still haven't cut that apple pie in the kitchen," she smiled secretly at her friends, who slowly nodded at her invitation.

"You behave," Lena waggled her finger in front of Greed's face before she reluctantly followed the women out of the old study and closing the door behind them.

"What in the world was that for-" Ling was promptly cut off at Ed's sudden jump.

Ed's slumped form immediately straightened and an all too evil, crazed look was in his eyes, Alphonse sighed and ran a hand down his face, "Oh no..."

"Huehuehuehue..." Ed rubbed his hands together, the same evil, disturbing grin on his face.

Greed deadpanned, "Is he on drugs?" he looked at Ling, who only shrugged and shook his head.

Ed looked at them with a grin, "Well? Whatcha waiting for? Better have a try before they come back!" Alphonse just managed to stop his brother from clasping his hands together by roughly tugging on his arm.

"Brother! What are you saying?! We can't just use it! We don't even know where it will teleport us to! Mei said it could be in a world where we won't be able to use our alchemy and then what?" he tried to reason with his sibling but he was too far gone.

"Come on Al, we will find a way back home, we always did before right?" Ed smirked.

Roy stared at the two brothers for several minutes, contemplating the very risky idea.

"Perhaps it's not such a bad idea," both brothers, including Greed and Ling, stared at him dumbly, "Just what Fullmetal said, we've dealt with riskier situations before and this is no different,"

Alphonse threw his hands in the air, "But General Mustang! This is a situation we can _choose_ to evade! We can willingly avoid trouble by not doing this!"

Ed chuckled, grinning, "Now where's the fun in that?" he winked, devil may care grin on his face when he turned to look at the two identical men, "Well? You guys in?"

Greed didn't even have to think about it before smirking, "You even need to ask?" he shot a look toward the door, "Hurry it up or something else than my head will be rolling if Lena finds out," he shuddered and punched Ling for the 'whipped' comment.

The men stood around the circle and Ed looked each of them in the eye, "Alright, let's do this!" sharing a look with his brother and Mustang, the two nodded and all three readied their hands in the trademark position.

A clasp of hands and the air charged with alchemical power, electric currents moving in and out of sight along the walls. The bright, nearly blinding blue light of the transmutation circle enveloped the whole group, blue turning to purple as the powerful currents washed over them.

* * *

They felt weightless for a moment, as if floating in midair, another bright, blinding light covered them and they covered their eyes, waiting to see what would happen.

The glowing stopped and they felt their feet hit solid ground beneath them.

When the group each opened their eyes, they all nearly screamed.

An impossibly large foot was coming down their way, the foot appeared human but there had been no humans who could possibly be as colossal as this! Quickly the group scrambled to get away, nearly stumbling over each-other as they scarcely dodged the massive foot that collided against the earth and created a foot-sized crater in its wake.

Smoke filled their noses and they noticed the chaos and fire around them.

"Everyone! Run!" a unfamiliar voice shouted from somewhere in the back and the sounds around them only registered now.

Screams of terror nearly made their ears ring, shouts for help sounded in between the loud noises of houses being destroyed and orders thrown about, to whom, they didn't know.

"What the hell?!" Greed shouted, watching how massive legs stepped over them and when the strange creature was just a few steps away from them in order to see it more clearly, Greed froze.

It looked like a human, or something humanoid anyway. It was hairless, save for the small tuft of hair on its massive head, it's movements seemed uncoordinated and slightly clumsy, but powerful as it stomped its way towards a large, stone wall, crushing houses beneath its wait without a care, almost as if crushing insects.

"After them! They aren't allowed to breach Maria again!" a blonde man dressed in military uniform shouted or at least, what the group assumed was a military uniform.

"You! The group there! What are you standing there for!? Clear out and head toward Wall Rose!" another man dressed in the same strange military-like uniform shouted at them.

"B-brother what...where are we?" Alphonse looked around, eyes widening in pity and horror at the death and destruction that surrounded them and the strange humanoid figures looming over the massive walls.

Ed growled, "I don't know Al, but I think it's best if we follow what that man said!" he looked over at his friends, "Come on! Follow those people!"

"Wait!" Roy shouted, glaring up at the creatures towering over them, "These...creatures, they're giving these people trouble, aren't they?" he readjusted his gloves, smirking, "Why not dispose of them?" he smirked and before Ed could say anything, Roy was already on the move, fingers snipping and the flames of death rushing toward their targets with pinpoint accuracy, engulfing their large bodies in painful heat.

To their amazement, it didn't seem to faze the beings too much, merely caused them to blindly swat away at the flames as if trying to hit annoying flies, wobbly carrying on their way.

"W-what?! They're immune to my fire?" Roy was promptly shoved out of the way by a blonde man dressed in military uniform.

"Get a move on!" the man suddenly stopped, realizing Roy didn't have a weapon from which to produce the massive flames, "Wait, a second, where did that fire come from? How did you shoot it at them?"

Roy blinked, lifting his gloved hands, "With alchemy of course." He looked around himself, noticing all the soldiers exclusively employing weapons, "I'll explain later, how can we help?" Roy's question was met with a smirk.

"Let the Survey Corps handle this! You have to run towards Wall Rose!" the man nodded curtly south, "Since you're strangers here, follow the mob! And try not to get killed by the Titans!" he moved away from the odd group, running back towards his comrades and assisting in shooting off bullets at the creature's faces.

Wait...

"Titans?" Ling looked up, watching the massive humanoid creatures effortlessly bring down houses.

"You mean... _them_?" Al measly pointed up at the large humanoid monsters and yelled when one of them was staring straight at them.

It appeared to be far smaller than it's brothers, only towering about a foot or two above them. It's constant, eerie gaze unsettled the group and Roy moved into a fighting position, followed by Ed and Greed.

"Why is it staring at us like that?" Ed whispered, gaze locked onto the supposed "Titan" as the man had said earlier.

"I don't know but it looks...hungry?" Greed blanched when the 'Titan' suddenly sprinted towards them clumsily, limbs flailing about as if unused to using them, jaw wide open, exposing large square teeth, tongue flapping wildly in the air, salivating like dogs as they started to advance on the group.

Fire immediately filled its jaw and made it screech and stagger back, that gave Ed and Greed the opening they needed to launch a combined punch at its head, sending it crashing against the wall.

"What is this thing?!" Greed growled, looking at the advancing creatures in anger.

"Let's not stick around too long to find out," Roy motioned for the group to fell and they wasted no time in following the other screaming citizens, dodging falling debris and occasional massive feet from stomping them alive.

And then they saw it.

Wide, horror stricken eyes stared in disbelief and terror as one of the large creatures suddenly picked up a woman and mercilessly clamped its jaws around her midsection, biting down hard, the sickening crack of bone sounding as blood and organs spilled out of the gaping, dislocated mid section and onto the ground, the rest of the woman's body being rapidly devoured by the ugly creature.

"What the-" Ed clutched at his stomach, feeling physically ill at the display of the woman's intestines spilling from her dead body and the creature's jaws.

"Damn," Roy swore, looking away from the scene, equally holding a hand to his mouth. He may have seen his fair share of death and destruction in his time as a soldier, but not quite the brutality he witnessed here.

He had never seen a human being so mercilessly devoured before.

The incessant pushing of the crowd behind them forced the stricken group to move, running until their legs burned and breath was short, running until they saw another wall, this one appeared to be untouched yet.

Running towards a opening in the wall, the team advanced forward, nearly stumbling again when another one of those beasts squashed them under their weight and the screams of agony filled their ears behind them.

Why were they devouring humans? They looked humanoid themselves, were they cannibals? Why were they so deformed and large? Were these walls built to keep them out? Keep them from destroying these poor people?

Relief flooded the group when they squeezed themselves through the opening, taking a sharp turn to try and avoid the panicking crowd from running over them should they slow down.

"Mustang! What the hell is this?! Is this what the world looks like in a hundred years?! This is the end of the world!" Ed shouted hysterically, clutching at his heaving stomach from the grotesque scene he had witnessed earlier.

Ling panted heavily beside Greed, who rested an arm against a still standing house, looking visibly shaken by the recent events.

Roy slowly shook his head, collecting his thoughts, "No...I...I don't think so," he straightened up, watching how people ran in all directions to get away from the danger just behind the walls, "They appeared to not recognize alchemy..." his gaze hardened, "They're using artillery weapons here, I suspect that's their primary use of firearms. I doubt anyone here knows what alchemy even is," he stared down at his gloves, "But those... _monsters_ , those Titans...why didn't my fire affect them?" he frowned.

Ed slowly straightened as well, watching the terrified mob of people a few feet in front of them, "They did manage to stagger that smaller one though," he shivered, "They looked...deformed... they weren't even human..." his eyes widened, haunted, "They...they eat humans...they killed that woman..."

"But...why?" Alphonse's voice was quiet, his whole body shook, "Why did it bring us here? Is this what our future could look like? Maybe it's trying to warn us, that something worse than Father may threaten us in the future," his theory was met with silence and uneasy expressions until his brother spoke again.

The shake of his head already betrayed his answer, "No...Mei said it could only send us into a different world than our own...that means not even a parallel world...this isn't time travel, so it's...it's unlikely it would happen to us," his gaze shifted to the colossal walls behind him, "But... where are we then?"

The group looked at their surroundings and suddenly, they felt lost.

Lost in a world unknown to them, endangered to fall prey to the monsters the people here called _Titans_.

* * *

"Captain," the soldier with short blond hair and thick dark blond eyebrows saluted sharply, staring down at the shorter male, "There have been reported sightings of a unusual group of strangers within our walls. They're now somewhere in Trost District,"

The shorter man's eyes narrowed, calmly setting his tea cup down, "Strangers? Are they survivors from Shiganshina when Maria was first breached?" recordings of all the survivors hadn't been fully able to be recollected, many people believed the number of survivors to be a bit higher than official stats.

Commander Erwin Smith shook his head, "Nobody recognizes them. A soldier from the Military Police reported seeing one of them release flames from their bare hands towards a incoming Titan," his face was set in a near to permanent scowl.

"...Flames from their bare hands?" he grunted, standing up from his sitting position, "Tea will have to wait then, I suppose," dark, cold eyes turned to his subordinate, "How many Titans are currently in Trost District?"

"Three, sir," he nodded firmly.

There was a distinct metallic sound as blade slid out of its sheath, two sturdy swords in each hand as the man walked toward the door.

"Shall I call for Hange?" he rose a thick eyebrow, waiting for the Captain's answer.

The door opened, shadows accentuating the muscled, shorter build of the Captain as the metal of his swords glinted in the harsh light, "I'll take care of this one myself,"

The door slammed shut with a loud bang, the leftover tea in the warm cup shaking from the vibrations, the only movement in the now eerily cold room.

Something akin to a small earthquake shook the earth and Commander Smith found himself starting at the now spilled contents of the tea cup, already awaiting the storm that would befall them should the Captain return to find his tea wasted.

Moving toward the kettle near the fire, he set for a fresh serving of tea.

The earth remained quiet.

* * *

Screams of terror cut through the air as human after human was devoured, torn out of their homes and mutilated by the large creatures called Titans.

A sudden large fist of stone crashed into a smaller Titan, who was about ready to tear off the other leg of a screaming man before dropping him at the harsh impact of the fist that sent him crashing into a rundown house.

Another clapping of hands and bindings materialized from the earth to wrap around the monster, pinning him down for the moment, when the Titan however tried to free itself, it succeeded, tearing through the feeble excuses for binds.

Until new ones materialized, these ones shining with a dark, metallic like gleam and when he tried to destroy them again, they didn't as much as budge, holding sturdy against the imposing power behind the large, naked hands of the Titan.

"Hey! We got him!" Ed shouted, grinning at the small victory that simple gesture brought them, "Good going Greed!" he shouted at his smirking friend, who dusted his hands off at his handy work.

"Gotta love carbon," he smirked, focusing in on a much larger Titan heading their way, "Hey! Ugly!" the Titan turned his head, away from a cowering family in their half destroyed home, to look at Greed, "Yeah you! Hell you're so ugly not even my blind, senseless and demented grandma would wanna touch you!"

Ling moved into a fighting stance, blanching at Greed's blatant verbal abuse, "Greed! We're supposed to take them down not taunt them!" he groaned..

Greed smirked, "How am I supposed to take them down when the bastard's not even heading my way?" he jumped from house to house, readying his fists when the deformed miniature head of the disturbingly large creature looked at him, "Eat that!" he punched it straight in the mouth, destroying a few teeth in the process as Greed used the hand that had wanted to swat away at him to his advantage to somersault of off it, landing safely on a rooftop.

Fire encircled the Titan in the next moment, flesh melting away to reveal bones and in the midst of the burning, Greed noticed something horrifying.

The skin, the flesh, it was _healing_.

"Hey! Mustang! Turn off your fry fest for a moment!" Greed jumped off the roof and next to Ling again, running straight for Roy and Ed who stood dumbfounded at his shout.

"What is it?" Roy rose an irritated eyebrow, irked at being interrupted.

Greed's face was set in a scowl when he spoke, "These Titans they're healing," three pairs of eyes widened, "They have regenerative abilities, just like us Homunculi." His gaze narrowed, "Maybe they are the same. Maybe they have a Stone in them that needs depleting," he cracked his knuckles, visibly itching for a fight.

Ed shook his head violently, "That doesn't make any sense! Why would they be so big? None of you were larger than a human, except Envy when he transformed into a green monster!" Ed's voice darkened at the last part, "You also didn't eat humans,"

Greed frowned, "Maybe in this world...these Homunculi are different," he looked at the struggling Titan, who kept snapping his jaws wildly in their direction, small feet kicking in the air.

"Look out!" Ling shouted when a hand nearly crushed him, landing a slash at the skin with his sword but the injury healed almost immediately, "Greed! I think I found your brother!"

This Titan was far larger than the smaller ones they've fought until now, messy dark thin hair on top of its head, eyes a menacing violet as it stared down at the odd group at its feet.

Greed waved a fist at the unruly emperor, "You prick! Shut your mouth!" jumping from roof to roof again, Greed launched himself at the Titan's thigh, digging Ultimate Shield covered claws into its tough skin to scale his way up its body, barely dodging a massive hand that would have squished him if not for his fast reflexes.

The Homunculus jumped from it's chest and in front of its face, fist connecting with its nose, breaking the sturdy, durable bone beneath it. Greed winced at the high pressure it put on his own arm, obviously their body structure wasn't that of a normal human. Their skin and bones were far tougher than any human's or Homunculi's Greed had encountered until now, that is, except his own.

Roaring when the beast managed to grab him with a colossal hand, its grip on Greed's struggling form tightened painfully, making Greed yell out in pain as his efforts to escape doubled the closer the Titan was moving him towards it wide opened jaw.

"Greed!" Ed shouted from far down under, Mustang all the while trying to burn the flesh of its legs to attempt to make the large Titan stumble or lose its footing, but it didn't budge an inch, instead opting to concentrate on eating Greed alive.

"Damn..." still struggling to at least free an arm and punch his way out, Greed froze when the blunt looking teeth of the Titan were now very close to him and Greed could smell the death and decay emanating from the monster's mouth, a pungent smell that made him want to wretch.

Another warning squeeze made several of Greed's ribs crack, causing him to lose his shield to quickly heal the damage.

Shit. Now he was without any real protection too.

Squeezing his eyes shut as the teeth grew closer, Greed felt the hot breath of the Titan against his upper body, the screams and shouts of his friends just barely registering to him until the Titan suddenly froze in the middle of clamping its jaws on him.

Opening his eyes in shock, Greed found the Titan's grip on his body loosening considerably, enough for Greed to slip out and finish healing before he delivered a strong, ultimate shield covered kick to its forehead, making the giant stumble.

A blur zipped past his field of vision and Greed tried to follow it with his gaze before he noticed he needed to get off the rapidly falling weight of the Titan, using its body to run across its torso towards a rundown house, jumping on the roof and sliding down the length before landing heavily on the ground, panting heavily, trying to catch his breath and make his heart stop beating so wildly in his chest.

"Greed!" he turned his head to see the relieved expressions of Ed, Roy and Ling running towards him.

He grinned shakily, not trusting his legs to support his shell shocked weight quite yet, "Hey...guess I didn't end up as fodder for them yet,"

"You've gotten lucky," Roy commented with a displeased scowl, "Somebody...or something rescued you,"

Greed rose an eyebrow, "Rescued me?" he looked around, remembering the blur that had zipped past him. It looked like a bird or at least something that could fly judging from its high position somewhere at eye level with the Titan's neck area.

"And who are you, brats?" the deep voice cut through the atmosphere like a knife and when the friends turned to see who spoke, they saw a man there, murderous lust in his eyes, his dark bangs only further enhancing the shadows on his face as his cold gaze stared them down, two swords smeared with blood on either side of him, seemingly ringing with the screams of their foes defeat.

 **Part 2? ^^ I apologize for any OOCness concerning Levi, Erwin or any character in this crossover for that matter!**


	121. Come Home Soldier

**Summary:** Leaves from the vine, falling so slow. Like fragile, tiny shells drifting in the snow. Come home little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy, come marching home. _Come marching home._

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Lily:** Yeah but I meant the Homunculi "as a whole" didn't actually eat humans, but I planned on mentioning Gluttony in the second part! :)

 **Bob:** Eheh, I hope you're not too disappointed. I didn't have much time to familiarize myself with AOT quite well yet and I've only watched bits and pieces and the first few episodes of it so I'm not sure how far the manga or even the anime is for that matter. If you want something to happen in Part 2 you want me to write just write me down all the details! :) Details help me write the story better haha

 **Jadasimone16:** Oh thanks! ^^ Eh, tbh I think I've written this chapter like crap T_T but I'll edit it again and update it! Hmm...fate/stay night huh? I think I heard it somewhere before..I think it's a video game but I'm not sure. Could you write down a few details on how you want the chapter to look like? Just so I have some pointers please! ^^ Thanks!

 **Penguin20:** Hey there! Long time no see! I've been wondering where everyone went :3 Ah, Naruto huh? Give me some details and I'll write it right up! ;)

 **Panic:** T_T THANK YOU! (hugs) Eh, I have to confess, while I was writing it I imagined the grief Lena would have felt and I coupled it a bit with personal experiences. Originally, it was much...bloodier? Rougher? Yeah...I had written her beating Ling up pretty bad until she snapped to her senses when she saw the first tear roll down Ling's cheek and then came the tearful hug scene and the rest. . Phew.

 **CROSSOVER NOTE:** I'm a bit disappointed by my crossover "Attack on Homunculus" (also since I've received, so far, mostly negative comments) so I'll update the first chapter and see where I'll go from there. .

 ** _Enjoy!_**

* * *

 **Come Home Soldier**

 _Leaves from the vine, falling so slow._

Spreading his little arms out, Ed's cries of laughter and joy cut through the air and rippled through her like a melodious song, instilling tranquility and peace within her heart and soul as she watched her little son play in the fields.

 _Like fragile, tiny shells drifting in the snow._

Her two boys stepped outside and experienced their first winter together, Edward chasing his younger brother Alphonse around the white terrain until both had come to the porch with red noses and freezing hands.

Their mother's laughter warmed them from the inside and their freezing hands were warmed by the warm mugs of hot chocolate as the little family sat by the fire. Their mother's soft voice sent them to the land of dreams as the snow gently fell outside.

A crack in the glass of the window pane went unnoticed by the family, until the tiny crack grew to shatter the once solid glass the next harsh winter.

 _Come home little soldier boy, come marching home._

Watching with tears in her eyes as her two sons, now young men with wide grins and broad shoulders, walked out of the family house with the promise of return on their lips and hope shining impeccably in their eyes.

And when she saw them turn their backs to her, she clasped her hands together in a prayer and prayed, oh god how she prayed, that this wouldn't have been the last time she saw them.

 _Brave soldier boy, come marching home._

It had been the day the war finally ended, a joyous day for everyone as she anxiously sat in her seat by the hearth and waited, waited for the radio to report anything to the soldiers on the frontlines. But nothing came.

The next day, it did.

Somebody opened the door and when she rushed to see who it was, her eyes filled with tears.

Of relief.

Of sadness.

Because only one of her boys came back.

 _Come marching home._

 _Come little soldier boy, come home._


	122. Dirty Cleaning, Masterpiece and a Maiden

**A/N: Back again with new chapters!**

Alright, this one is completely random, something that _screamed_ at me to be written...sometime's my mind can't set priorities straight and I end up writing not requests but my own ideas... Don't worry, the next one WILL be **Attack on Homunculus Part 2!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Dirty Cleaning, A Masterpiece and a Maiden**

 ** _Dirty Cleaning_**

Dusting off the corners of the wall, Greed sharply turned to look at his wife, who was busy polishing the small wooden figures they've purchased on a whim in a small shop downtown.

"Oi, get on that bed on all fours," to say they were both relieved that the figures were made of wood was a understatement. The figure fell with a dull thud on the carpeted floor at her feet and her red face greeted him almost robotically as it turned, two pairs of eyes dead set on them.

Winry and Ed had come to gladly help out the couple into cleaning up their newly finished house and what the former Homunculus said quite nearly gave both blondes shit eating grins and simultaneous heart attacks.

"W-W-what b-but Greed-!" Lena was about to voice her protest and embarrassment quite loudly until her husband cut her off with a firm pout.

"Do I have to make you to?" his grin looked feral and foreboding and any thoughts Lena had of running out the door were futile.

Shakily, a nervous wreck, she got on their bed, sending panicked looks at her friends, who only watched with their hands pressed against their mouths with barely suppressed laughter.

And then, a thought hit her, " _W-wait a minute! The hell?! I'm not even prepared! This is too fast! What the hell is Greed thinking?! In front of Ed and Winry?! Is he nuts?!"_ she watched him move closer to her, " _Wait, wait, wait, wait! I'm not mentally prepared for this or in any other way! This is sudden! Did he get tips from Lan Fan?! Did he actually get hooked on Ling's stupid BDSM fetishes?!"_ the bed dipped under his foot's weight and Lena shut her eyes closed tightly, " _Mayday, mayday! Rampant husband on the loose, rampant husband on the loose, rampant-"_

She felt a weight on her _back_ and when she nearly broke her neck to look up at her stupid husband, she could see the dork dusting off the small webs that had gathered at the corners of the wall.

Her heart stopped, slowly turning her head to look at a stunned Winry and a very amused Edward.

"What?" Greed shot her a look, raising an eyebrow in confusion when she groaned and pulled the pillow close to her, burying her red face in it and wishing for the floor to swallow her up this instant.

She failed to see the tiny smirk on Greed's face though.

* * *

 ** _A Masterpiece_**

"Ha! Take it off!" Lan Fan cheered, grinning widely with a vibrant blush on her cheeks as she saw, for once, the tables turned on her lord.

Ling rolled his eyes, a hint of pink on his cheeks, "Yeah, yeah," she shot him a look, " _Mistress,_ " she smiled, excitement shining in her eyes.

Removing the robes draped over him, Ling closed his eyes, a warm blush of pure embarrassment on his face when he heard the painter's exclamation after a few minutes, "It's finished!"

Lan Fan smiled in glee when the painter moved to reveal the painting of her lord on the canvas.

He was just like he posed before her, robes spread open with arms outstretched, face tilted to the side and big bold letters written elegantly on the expanse of his toned chest.

 _"_ _Property of Lan Fan Yao,"_

Over the canvas, Ling peeked an eye open and he couldn't help but smirk at the look on Lan Fan's face.

* * *

 ** _A Maiden_**

Noticing the strange man that had seemed to be pestering his poor, flustered wife Alphonse frowned.

Now normally, the young man, a stark contrast to his brother, wasn't the violent type nor not quite the jealous type. Their devotion to each-other was as strong as his bond with his brother, he wasn't worried in the slightest bit about her.

Rather, it was the annoying males that seemed to have became drawn to her like a moth to a flame and with their wedding ring in plain sight as well.

When seeking advice from Lena, she had only commented that men become more drawn to women who are already taken, a form of magnetism she explained as ' _territorial males thinking'_ and men having the drive to desire something more the moment it isn't available. A sense of guilty pleasure or forbidden desire.

Still, seeing Mei, with pink cheeks and flailing arms, trying to feverishly explain to the rather lascivious and advancing man that she was already married to her wonderful husband made something within sweet Alphonse _snap_.

He wasn't quite sure what it was and when asked, he would vehemently deny it was anything like jealousy. But he couldn't deny the sudden courage and rage that filled him as he walked up to the soon dead man.

"Excuse me," his tone was polite and soft, making the man that was pestering his wife turn to look at him with a disinterested and rude expression on his face, irked by him interrupting.

"Whatcha want brat?" the man's gruff voice died in his throat when he saw the expression of pure, unadulterated _rage_ in Alphonse's eyes, something Edward would have been proud of.

"I don't want to be rude but this is _my_ wife you're speaking to," Al's expression darkened, eyes hardening in a uncharacteristic fashion the same way his brother's would when thrown into a rage, "And I don't take kindly to _anyone_ who is pestering her,"

The man was visibly affected but nonetheless, he dared to speak, "Tch, a brat like you-arghha!" the man shouted in pain, suddenly having his arms twisted behind his back painfully, his hands bent in a unnatural angle that if pressure were applied to it, it would undoubtedly snap his wrist. Thankfully, he still remembered his training from teacher. The foot cruelly pressing down on his own with impressive force that threatened to break his bones made him cringe and yelp and Al's voice was low in his voice when he spoke, "I'm sorry if this hurts...but you made my wife uncomfortable..." a warning squeeze was all the man got before being roughly shoved, nearly stumbling on the street in his fright.

Looking back at the protective gleam in the youth's eyes the man made a run for the market, disappearing within the crowd of mingling merchants and searching customers until he was well out of sight.

Alphonse sighed, mildly surprised at his open act of hostility, until a small but powerful force collided into his back, nearly sending him crashing to the ground.

"Oh my hero in shining armor!" Mei rubbed her face against his back, smaller arms wrapped tightly around his middle in glee.

Al couldn't help but to feel that small twinge of pride in his chest, a thing he normally shook his head at when his brother blatantly displayed it after making Winry happy or proud, but this time, he let himself indulge.

Settling his larger hands on the smaller ones of his wife on his stomach, Alphonse chuckled, gently rubbing her knuckles, "Hm...shining armor, hm?" he smiled.

Maybe it didn't hurt as much as he thought letting out the 'alpha male' behavior his brother so frequently displayed.

If it meant his wife looking so happy, Alphonse just may turn a bit more daring, but just a little.

 **NOTE FOR STORY REQUESTS:** When you write your request for a certain fandom (crossover or otherwise) would you guys be so kind as to include a few details to the idea? Or what you want me to include or leave out? It certainly makes my work easier! Thanks! :)


	123. Of Soldiers and Alchemists

**_ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:_**

 **daughterofapollo12345:** hahah Well, I used to watch it a LONG while back, but I've seen some fanart concerning Attack on Titan on Pinterest and WeHeartIt and I just had to include it here! ^^

 _ **Any further suggestions for "Attack on Homunculus" is very appreciated!**_

* * *

 ** _Of Soldiers and Alchemists (Attack on Homunculus, the 2. Chapter)_**

 _"_ _You've gotten lucky," Roy commented with a displeased scowl, "Somebody...or something rescued you,"_

 _Greed rose an eyebrow, "Rescued me?" he looked around, remembering the blur that had zipped past him. It looked like a bird or at least something that could fly judging from its high position somewhere at eye level with the Titan's neck area._

 _"_ _And who are you, brats?" the deep voice cut through the atmosphere like a knife and when the friends turned to see who spoke, they saw a man there, murderous lust in his eyes, his dark bangs only further enhancing the shadows on his face as his cold gaze stared them down, two swords smeared with blood on either side of him, seemingly ringing with the screams of their foes defeat._

" _Brats?_ Excuse me but who are you? And how old are you to be calling _me_ a _brat_?!" Roy fumed, gritting his teeth at the audacity of the young looking soldier before them, standing tall on the rubble.

Upon noticing just where exactly his gaze ended at his legs, Ed thought only one thing, _"...Damn, he's short!"_ his eyes widened, a familiar sense of anger welling up inside him until he realized that for once, that comment certainly wasn't aimed at him. Judging by the murderous expression on the man's face, he must have endured his fair share of shortie comments through his military career...for a very strange reason, Ed wanted to swap stories with him. Maybe they were on the same page about shortness...he looked young, so maybe he would grow taller more just like Ed had.

The male ignored Roy's questions, instead letting his gaze roam over each of them, his gaze narrowing, "What are you doing within our walls?" casually, he lifted his blade in front of him and the group readied for a fight...

Until he suddenly retrieved a white handkerchief from his pocket and started wiping away the blood from the length of his blade, attention shifted to meticulously clean his blades spotless.

...was he actually _cleaning_ his weapons? _Now?_

 _"_ _This guy is nuts!"_ Roy frowned, wondering why on earth a man that had looked ready to murder them a second ago was now casually cleaning his swords in front of the enemy?

Surprisingly, Ed voiced everyone's exact thoughts after getting over the mild shock when the bastard started cleaning his weapons, "Hey! What's the big idea?! You ain't gonna fight us?" the man's gaze was drawn to them again after pocketing his dirty handkerchief and wrapping it in another, cleaner one, and admittedly even Ed felt a bit... _apprehensive_ at the look in his eyes.

He remained quiet, flicking his wrist and straightening his blade parallel with the ground, the blade catching the dying sunlight and creating a even more sinister atmosphere with the way the man was looking at them, then at his sword, "Filth..." he muttered to himself and again shifted his attention to them, "I won't taint my blades with your filthy blood,"

"Filthy blood?" Ling frowned, "Now I'm offended..." he grabbed the hilt of his own sword, eyes narrowed, "He's not playing any games, he just took out that monster within the blink of an eye," he looked at the dead form of the titan near them, "Damn..."

Roy adjusted his gloves, "If you're not going to fight us, what are you planning to do with us?" his eyes narrowed suspiciously, ready to intervene should the soldier attempt anything funny.

The dark haired soldier smirked, "Imprison you, of course," and before any of them could brace themselves, pain flashed sharply through them before they fell to the hard, cobblestone ground.

Approaching feet were nearing Ed's fading line of sight, the voice of the man sounding commanding to some unseen soldiers lurking nearby, "Get them to the cell and send in for the Commander...he would want to see this,"

The booted feet stopped just before them, near Mustang's body, and he heard the sound of someone clicking their tongue loudly and saying, "Shit happens,"

Ed's vision darkened soon after that but not before thinking of one thing before his mind shut down, _"You were right, Winry..."_

* * *

"What the hell is this?! Get me out of here or I'll break your legs and beat you up with them baby dick! And you too forest for brows!" somewhere near him, Ed could hear the distinctive sound of Greed swearing and shouting and pounding on something metallic, a weary sigh coming from likely Mustang and his brother's whimper when Greed yelped in pain.

Slowly regaining consciousness and taking note of the dull ache somewhere at the back of his skull, Ed slowly rose from his laying position on what appeared to be a sorry excuse for a bed, looking straight at worried gold eyes identical to his own, "Are you okay, brother?" Al's soft voice soothed his headache and Ed attempted to smile, if not for his sake than for his brother's.

Carefully, he nodded, "I'm fine, Al." he looked around and noticed the dark, dimly lit cell they were kept prisoners in, surprisingly with no shackles attached to them, all except for Greed that is, "What...what happened?" he glared straight at the two men, one who he recognized as the short man that had threatened them.

Alphonse frowned, his voice quiet to not invoke the wrath of the two soldiers staring at them, "They surprised us and knocked us out, before they brought us here. I woke up not too long ago and the man that apprehended us was already here," he briefly looked at the bigger, blond man, "That man just came a few minutes ago. They talked, but we didn't hear what they said," he sighed.

Ed frowned, "So...why were we imprisoned? We didn't do anything wrong, did we? We helped defeat one of those titans, after all," Ed rubbed at the aching spot on his head, fixing his stare on the short angry man that had called them brats. _Hell_ , he had called _Mustang_ a brat, just how old was this guy?

The sternness in the shorter man's eyes never leaving once as he spoke to them, "I'll ask again, what business do you have in our city?" his gaze narrowed further, "The way you slew those Titans...I've never seen anything like that before," his gaze turned to Roy, "Flames cast from the palms of your hands...", his gaze shifted to Greed, "Managing to wound a Titan with your bare fists covered by a protective layer of skin...", he turned toward Ed and Al, "Manipulating the earth by clapping your hands and casting strange energy into it..." his voice hardened, "Who are you?"

Ed carefully thought of what to say and figured the best course of action was to simply tell the truth, "We are alchemists," the blond man's eyes widened, "We came here through alchemy but at the time we didn't know in what world we would end up in or if it would even work." Ed stared down into his hands, "Tell me..." he lifted his head to look straight at the shorter man, "What exactly are those 'titans'?"

The man scoffed, gaze unflinching and unchanging, "You killed one, didn't you? You may have guessed already that they aren't an easy opponent,"

The blond man cast a sidelong glance at his subordinate before deciding to answer the question, "They are large humanoid creatures, mindless beings hunting down humans to eat and kill," his slanted gaze swept over them, "There are, however, exceptions. Titans that actually posses some level of intelligence and awareness," he paused, seemingly collecting his thoughts before speaking again, "From what I've been hearing, you tell no lies of coming from a different world," he gave them all a once over, "Your clothes testify that as well," subconsciously, Ed stared down at his simple pants and shirt, mentally shrugging, considering they wore a sort of uniform he never saw before.

From what he gathered in their quick view of the town, it seemed rather simple, something akin to Resembool, but bigger, equipped with more houses and cottages. And...surrounded by massive walls.

"Those walls...I heard one of your men say those giants aren't allowed to breach 'Maria' again...is that one of your walls?" a fair eyebrow rose in question, resting his forearms on his knees.

The blond soldier spoke again evenly, "Yes, Maria is the outermost wall, followed by Rose and Sheena." He paused before speaking again, "They were built to withstand forces such as the titans, specifically, years ago. Humankind had already been almost completely wiped out before they decided to protect themselves by building the Walls." He looked directly at Ed, "Now, as mentioned before, you managed to kill a titan without the use of our equipment."

The shorter one cut in, "However, they would have been eaten had I not cut the titan's neck," there was no boasting in his tone or arrogance, simply stating the fact as it were.

Greed scoffed, crossing his arms, "Tch, yeah, I didn't need your help, shortstack," the soldier glared at him, "Besides, what's it gotta do that you cut its neck?" he tilted his head to the side curiously.

The blond one answered again, "Before we answer that, can we trust you to aid us in killing more titans? At least, until we figure out a way how to bring you back to your own world,"

Ed frowned and felt Alphonse gently nudging his side, leaning in to whisper to him quietly, "But brother, we know the transmutation circle, we can just leave if we want to. I want to help them, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea," Ed nodded slowly, catching Mustang's eye as he did so.

The dark eyes of his former superior told him wordlessly what his opinion on it was and Ed sighed. Staring at Ling and Greed, the xingese emperor looked distraught, frowning at their predicament and Greed seemed livid, looking ready to beat those two soldiers up to a pulp.

"We'll help you fight them off, at least until the situation clears a bit, but after that we need to get back home, got it?" Ed made sure his tone was firm and left no more room for discussion but it didn't faze the two at all.

The short one smirked, "Oh? Grown some balls have you, brat? Those titans invade our districts almost daily and many lives are lost because of it,"

Ed's face fell, "I'm sorry for what's happening to you, but please understand we can't stay here forever! We have families waiting for us back home!" the former Fullmetal alchemist was slightly startled when Greed's ultimate shield covered claws clanked loudly against the steel bars, arms straining as he glared daggers at the smaller soldier.

"Listen up _punk_ , this is all a sad and sappy story, but we got nothing to do with it. Like the runt said, we have wives and kids waiting for us back in our time so we can't stay here parading around and slaying those giants for you," Greed didn't flinch when the shorter male walked over to him, Greed towering over him by a good head but the soldier seemed indifferent by the height difference.

It looked like it would come down to a fight, but a sudden voice cut the tense atmosphere like a knife, "Captain Levi!"

The so called 'captain' broke his stare down with Greed to look at two people, equally dressed in uniforms, running towards them. One was a boy with messy brown hair and the other was a girl with a red scarf around her neck.

"What is it, brat?" Levi's voice made the youth flinch slightly before he collected himself.

"We heard you caught some outsiders-" he cut himself off before looking at all of them, stunned, "Is..is that them?"

Greed seemed to have enough, "Damn well it is pissant! We ain't a circus attraction, so stop staring at us like that," his growl was cut off by a very sharp sword pointing to his throat.

It was the girl. Faster than anyone could blink, she had drawn her sword and glared directly at Greed, her voice was low and threatening when she spoke, "Do not insult Eren," her gaze narrowed at him and Greed was about to say something until the blond man spoke up.

"Enough, everyone," he shared a look with Levi, "Levi, I want you to keep an eye on the prisoners for the time being. We'll release them tomorrow after we have come to an agreement," he looked at the 'Eren' kid and the girl, "Mikasa, Eren, you two head back to your barracks. It's past your curfew," he gave them a stern glare and the girl called Mikasa reluctantly withdrew her blade, all the while glaring at Greed as both she and Eren walked away from them with the blond guy.

Turning to look at Greed's face, the captain only said this, "Scum," Greed doubled his efforts to escape, trying to scratch at him with his claws but the man just moved away.

"Do you really think I'd let little shits like you escape so easily? These bars are reinforced," he stared at Greed specifically, "Not even your armor will be able to break it,"

Greed deactivated his shield, muttering something under his breath as he sat back down on one of the beds.

"Um...could we maybe get something to eat?" Ling raised a hand, looking sheepish but calm as he asked this.

Levi looked unimpressed, "Tomorrow, if the commander says so," he sat down, crossing his legs as he stared at them.

Roy decided to speak up after remaining silent for so long, "Would you mind formally introducing yourself? If it isn't too much to ask." He gestured to himself, "From where we come from, I'm the Führer and I worked in the State Military as a Colonel in the past, introducing yourself may not be bad," he waited patiently to see what the shorter male would answer.

His answer was blunt, "I don't give a shit where you worked or if you're the leader of the army. _Here_ , you're nothing but outsiders posing a threat to our people," his gaze spoke volumes as it darkened, "Now shut up and settle down, I don't want to have to straight you up,"

Roy frowned, sighing.

Turning toward Edward, he lowered his voice to a mere whisper, "There's nothing more to do than wait until tomorrow. Maybe that commander may help us, he seemed like the more...approachable one," glancing briefly in Levi's direction, Roy continued, "In any case, we have to find a way to draw a transmutation circle and get out of here as fast as we can,"

Ling suddenly cut in bluntly, "You're just scared your wife will beat you senseless after you agreed on something so reckless, right?"

Roy bristled, "N-no! Shut up!" he groaned in exasperation, burying his face in his hands.

Ed sighed long and hard, leaning against the wall behind him, frowning at Levi, who was watching them with a bored expression.

"Brother...he's scaring me," Al whispered and Ed could see how badly he wanted to go back home, he understood, he wanted it too...

"Yeah...seems like the scary type," he looked at Greed, who seemed to have settled down and was in some sort of glaring match with Levi, "Guess Greed isn't too fond of him either,"

"Damn...I wish we didn't draw that transmutation circle...Winry was right," he leaned his head back to rest against the wall with a dull thud.

Al smiled nervously, "Don't worry, we will find a way out," he smiled shakily at his elder brother, determined to cheer him up and lift his spirits.

Ed found himself smiling, despite their messy situation.

They may be chained and imprisoned here now, but once they were free, they could return back home. He almost relished the thought of Winry shouting his ears off once he got back.

 _Next Morning_

"I apologize for yesterday's...rude treatment towards you," he pointedly looked toward Levi, who was leaning casually against the wall, "However, we have no information concerning your abilities yet, much less if you're friend or foe,"

Roy stood up then, attempting to settle things once and for all, "With all due respect, sir, we beat a few of those Titans that plagued your city, it would be pointless to question our allegiance, would it not?" he gazed at the other man intently, watching his expressions.

"That may be so, but your abilities are dangerous and we have no knowledge of performing the same feats and manipulating objects such as you, surely you understand our people being wary of outsiders breaching our walls." He paused briefly, sending Levi a look, "However, we appreciate your efforts in helping us with the Titans. As such, I'm willing to negotiate a deal,"

Roy rose an eyebrow, "...And that deal includes?" he could see Edward tensing and he practically _felt_ Greed's increasing hostility towards Levi.

"You help us destroying the next wave of Titans swarming the city and in exchange you're allowed to go back to your own world," he crossed his arms, "Our scouts have found that some Titans were capable of intelligent thinking and we suspect some of them plan on releasing a big attack on the city any day now. We've lost many able men on our last expedition and it would be of great help if you would offer us your services to dispatch a majority of those Titans," he smiled slightly.

Roy's expression grew thoughtful, a small frown settling on his features as he mulled the deal over.

In truth, this deal benefited them more than it did him and his friends, but if it meant getting out of this world, they would need to accept.

"Now hold on a minute!" Edward suddenly sprang up, the chains keeping him from going any further than a step away from his bed, "We saw those giants eat humans, you said their numbers were great and some of them are larger than houses and buildings! It means me and my friends could get killed helping you out! That's not a very fair deal, _commander_ ," Ed crossed his arms, snorting defensively.

In a split second, Levi actually approached the steel bars and reached his hand out, grabbing Ed by the collar of his shirt and roughly slamming him against the bars, stretching the chains to their limits, Levi's glaring face bore into Ed's stunned one, "Now listen up you brats, we have you in our custody. If you won't accept the deal, there's a slim chance you'll ever get out of here." Levi's eyebrow rose when he felt incredible pressure on his wrist.

He looked down and followed the arm coated in the same layer of metal-like substance he saw on the battlefield and met furious violet irises, "Who're you calling brats, _shorty_? If you don't let him go I'll do more than just break your wrist," he gave a warning squeeze and Levi's hand moved to grab his blade when the stern voice of Commander Erwin penetrated the cell.

"Levi! Release him and step back!" Erwin's eyes flashed, "Now,"

Only hesitating but a moment, Levi slowly released Ed, causing the man to stumble and nearly fall if not for Greed steadying him.

The Homunculus glared daggers at the shorter male, crossing his arms, his shield slowly retreating.

Roy cleared his throat, "I'll only accept your deal under two conditions, commander," Erwin listened attentively, "The first one is, the captain won't harm my comrades for as long as we stay here and the second is, nobody is to prevent us from leaving this world once we deal with your Titan problem," he glared resolutely at the blond man, not willing to back down on his conditions.

Erwin sent a small but meaningful look at Levi, who 'tsked' silently and Erwin sighed, "Alright, accepted,"

Roy nodded, extending his hand through the bars as much as his chain would allow, "Good, we have a deal,"

Erwin nodded, shaking his hand firmly, "Release them!" the guard with the keys nervously looked at Levi, before nodding at Erwin and unlocking the cell door, unlocking each of their restraints.

Walking out of the cell one by one, Roy smiled at Erwin, "I'm glad we are on the same page,"

Erwin nodded, "So am I, however, before we require your help, you'll need basic training in order to understand how Titans work and how to effectively and quickly kill them on the battlefield." He looked down at Roy's gloves, "With your powers, I doubt you'd need to employ the use of our gear, however that will depend on how well you perform on the training grounds,"

Roy nodded seriously, understanding the circumstances.

Ed rubbed at his wrist, frowning at Levi, who only glared back. Greed growled lowly under his throat, Ling tried to calm him down by squeezing his shoulder, but the Homunculus was unrelenting in his glaring match with Levi.

"I believe this will make for a interesting time, Führer Mustang," Erwin nodded, smiling slightly.

Ed didn't know what exactly they've gotten themselves into, but he was willing to bet it wasn't anything good.

 **Put on hiatus until further notice due to too many projects I'm currently writing on! It may take a while for me to publish the next chapter. Thank you for reading!**


	124. Fullmetal Ninja

**IMPORTANT NOTICE:** Ahem, I hope I have your attention dear readers! :) On my **profile page** you'll find a small list with story ideas and partly summaries to go with them, if any of you are interested in any of them please PM me or send me a review! Thanks! :)

 **Please check out "Ideas for Chapters" (Chapter 35) for new one shot ideas! Thank you! ;)**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** haha well I used to watch it when I was really young but I remembered that particular quote and I was hit so hard with the FEELS T_T

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Fullmetal Ninja**

" _Sexy no Jutsu!"_ a sudden puff of smoke covered the teenage blond who claimed to be a ninja and a few seconds later, Ed's jaw dropped.

A nearly nude, sexy blonde girl with blue eyes and a soft smile stood now in the ninja's place, her nude, curvaceous figure barely covered by what appeared to be Winry's trademark cream colored overalls and tube top, generous breasts nearly spilling out of the top.

"W-W-W-W-W-Win-Win- _WINRY?!"_ the only thing preventing him from jumping on the lookalike Winry was his brother, who just barely managed to hold his brother at bay.

"Brother! That's not Winry! Stop! You'll get killed!" Alphonse helplessly tried to hold his brother back with all his strength, knowing the mechanic would be back any minute now from her walk around the village with the pink kunoichi.

"B-b-b-but, b-but, but _Al_! That's Winry! That's not something alchemy can do!" Ed felt himself drooling, his face flushed and his tongue nearly hanging out of his mouth like a dog.

"Why can't Winry wear her clothes like this...?" Ed muttered under his breath, dreamy gaze in place as he kept entertaining not so innocent thoughts of his mechani-

"YOU PERVERTED IDIOT!" his life flashed before his eyes when white hot pain shot through his whole body as the very familiar feeling of a wrench slammed into his head, knocking him clean off his feet and sending him flying toward a tree, the poor tree stood no chance, a Ed-like crater left in it's bark as the blond alchemist painfully slid down its trunk, bleeding from his nose, face flushed and the same dreamy expression on his face.

" _NARUTO!_ " the only thing left of the poor blond ninja was a Naruto-shaped smoke cloud in his wake and a spinning star shooting off into the air, landing minutes on the ground next to the enraged pink haired monst- _kunoichi_ in a bloody, half dead heap of flesh _._

"Ah, Sakura I think it's-" Kakashi was about to interrupt and attempt to diffuse the situation until suddenly Winry rounded on him, weapon in hand and waving it threateningly in front of the stunned man.

"Oi...weren't you the one that attempted to peek from under my skirt?" Winry's glare was capable of reducing even the famed womanizer into a nervous mess, Kakashi held his hands up in a placating manner, thankful that the woman may not actually hit him...right?

"Um..W-Winry..." Alphonse meekly tried to calm the enraged woman down, "You know how brother can get..."

The blonde huffed, crossing her arms, "I don't care!" she growled furiously, "He's acting like a stupid pervert Al!"

Alphonse sighed, "Well...it may not excuse his actions, but Naruto transformed into you when he...did that so he was only thinking about you," he hoped at least that small piece of information would calm the furious mechanic.

To his surprise, it actually did.

"M-Me? But I..." she trailed off, suddenly feeling flustered as she turned around to hide her red face, watching as Sakura was brutalizing Naruto in the distance, "W-well..." she looked off to the side, fighting down the urge to feel the slightest tinge of satisfaction at the small bit of information. He still deserved getting his ass kicked.

"Ahh! Such youthful, energetic ladies, right Kakashi?" Might Guy rested his arm on Kakashi, observing Naruto's almost murder and Edward's dying state, "Fine men with even finer ladies!" he flashed his teeth with a smile and a wink, sparkles lining his bushy eyebrows and teeth.

Kakashi sighed heavily, shoulders slumped, "Maybe we should intervene before Sakura kills him..." digging into his pocket, Kakashi pulled out a familiar book, reading silently and ignoring Naruto's cries for help.

Guy rose an eyebrow, "Um, forgive me for asking my friend but how will reading help your student?" he looked back at the bleeding blond, suffering Sakura's unrelenting punches.

Kakashi shrugged, "Everything I find out now I may pass onto him later so he knows how to behave around women,"

Guy's eyebrow shot up to his hairline, leaning over to look at the smutty book, "Um...but isn't Icha-Icha series a very...inappropriate book?"

Kakashi again shrugged, "I never said it was useful advice,"

"Idiot!" Sakura kicked the half dead lump for good measure, turning around to regard the stunned trio looking at her, Ed keeping a safe distance from Winry as he hid behind Al.

Sakura laughed nervously, slinging an arm around Winry's shoulders with a large smile, "Ahh, sorry you had to see this! I'm normally not like that at all you know! Naruto is just being Naruto!" she laughed, "Hey, you want to go to Ichiraku's for some ramen?"

Winry smiled, "Oh ramen huh? Hmm, I never actually had that before from where I come from," according to Sakura, ramen was very similar to that noodle soup Ling loved to eat, a specialty in Xing he used to say.

"That's great! Then you'll get to eat it now! Come on!" she grinned and Winry smiled back, the two laughing girls heading off to the famous ramen shop.

Ed slowly limped his way over to the blond corpse on the ground, "Hey, uh...Naruto? You still alive?" Ed leaned over the ninja, judging by the pool of blood, eh may as well not be.

"Brother...I think she killed him," Alphonse sweated nervously, looking behind him at the two Jonin, who conversed quietly without a care in the world, "Does it happen that often?"

"Hm...well, Winry's nowhere near violent like that Sakura..." Ed trailed off, seeing the thought-to-be corpse twitching.

When Ed turned Naruto around so the obnoxious troublemaker laid on his back, the ninja had tears streaming down his face dramatically.

Ed commented dryly, "Well, you have 'one sided love' written all over your face," Naruto growled, shooting up to his feet.

"Oh? Say that again to my shadow clones!" doing the hand sign, a hundred puffs of smoke appeared around Alphonse and Ed and with them, Naruto copies.

Al tried to diffuse the situation, "I don't think that's a good idea-"

"TASTE MY ALCHEMY BI-!" Edward was about to clap his hands until something akin to a boulder crashed onto his head, he heard several yelps of pain, the earth beneath his body shaking violently and the sound of Naruto's body landing next to his.

Slowly, gingerly lifting his head up, Edward saw a sight worse than demon Winry with a wrench.

It was the old ha-

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING OLD HAG BOY?!" Tsunade seemed to think one earth shattering punch wasn't quite enough for the newcomer, for she promptly punched him again.

Poor Alphonse was clinging to a amused Kakashi and a energetic looking Guy, "Ahh, what a youthful woman despite her-"

Kakashi quickly covered the latter's mouth before the demon woman heard him, "Don't even think about it," he whispered to him quietly, watching how the chakra around Tsunade flared like a hurricane.

He didn't even know if the two boys were alive.

"...H-hey...N-Naruto?" silence.

"N-Naruto?" alarm bells rang off in Ed's head, before a gravely quiet voice spoke shakily soon after.

"...Mom?"

Ed coughed, "N-no...it's Ed..." shakily, he turned his head to look at the half beaten blond, "...a-are you alive?"

Naruto groaned in pain, "...I...think I'm...s-somewhere between..." he shivered in fear when the blonde woman glared at him with crossed arms.

"G-G-Granny..."

"Oi, brat, don't you 'granny' me," her gaze narrowed, "Who stole my booze, huh?" her eyes flashed dangerously and both alchemist and ninja started shivering in fear uncontrollably.

"W-W-we don't even d-d-drink alcohol!" both tried to defend themselves but the demon woman was unrelenting as she grabbed them both by the collars of their shirts.

"Listen up brats, I don't care if you're new to the village," she pointedly looked at Edward, "Or my precious student's boyfriend," she sent a look Naruto's way.

"S-She's not my girlfriend!" redness overwhelmed the entirety of his face and Tsunade smirked.

"Right, right. Now, on to business," her face was partly covered by a shadow, large waves of chakra and rage radiating off of her, "Which of you little thieves took my booze?"

* * *

 _Meanwhile in a secret place..._

"Haaaahahahaha!" Jiraiya's loud bark of laughter was joined in with another's glasses filled with sake clinging together joyfully, "I can't believe it! Someone's keeping up with me 'cept Tsuna!" he laughed again, grinning widely.

The dark haired male grinned back, swishing the rich liquid in his glass, "Heh, can't say I'm not impressed, you hold your alcohol well," he burst into drunk laughter again, "Oi, oi, oi, how big did you say they were?" redness seemed to be the new permanent color of his cheeks now.

Jiraiya wasn't any better, "Oh Mustang, finally someone with great taste in women!" he clapped the other man on the back joyfully, "Ahhh, right, right," Jiraiya's face took on a perverted grin, leaning in close to Roy as if to gossip and gesturing with the other hand toward his chest, " _This_ big! Just the right size for me!" he broke into hysterical, drunk laughter again and Roy joined him in.

"Ah...I've got a woman of my own...quite the curvaceous lady too..." a very identical perverted smirk stretched over his handsome features, until he remembered just how lethal she was, "...Well, if she isn't holding a gun to my head she is actually very nice..." he scratched his cheek.

Jiraiya cackled, "Ha, I could write you a book about that one buddy! Tsunade is just the same! Gives me a concussion and a boner every time!" he burst out laughing, clutching onto Mustang's shoulder for support.

"You _dog_ ," Roy was still grinning, downing his drink and laughing.

"Ahh yes...women are just fine..." both men leaned back in their seats.

Jiraiya suddenly remembered something, "Hey...did we forget something?"

Roy rose an eyebrow, not quite capable of long thought processes, "...I don't think so?"

Both men shrugged, chugging down another glass of alcohol.

* * *

"I don't suppose you know where they are," Riza quietly took a sip of the sake the woman before her offered her, leaning back in the chair of the Hokage office.

Tsunade crossed her fingers in front of her gaze, a dangerous smirk on her lips, "Oh, I know exactly where they are, there are only so many places that pervert thinks he can hide from me,"

Riza rose an eyebrow, amused, "What do you plan to do about it?" she smiled.

Tsunade's smirk widened, "Already taken care of it. What about you? You aren't going to let your woman get away with it, are you?" her gaze fixed on the guns holstered to her hips, "You don't seem the type of woman that would, anyway,"

Riza smirked, "Not at all," she smiled, "Already taken care of,"

Both women laughed, clinking their cups together as they drank.

* * *

"...Remind me again why I'm doing this?" Kakashi's deadpan expression would have been funny if not for the fact that he was in the same situation.

"Tch, beats me, I gotta do it or that crazy woman will kick my ass," Greed huffed, sounding as annoyed as the copy nin felt.

Kakashi sighed, "So, we're in the same boat..." he rose an eyebrow at the dog in Greed's arms, "...Why did he come along?"

Greed smirked, "You've seen Hawkeye, right? The blonde with the guns?" Kakashi nodded, "Let's just say she's not the only dangerous one here,"

Kakashi looked back down at the innocent looking puppy, wagging its tail happily and barking softly at him as if in greeting.

He sighed.

* * *

"...Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"...Did they forget we are here?"

"...I don't know," Naruto sighed, "Could be anything with that demon..."

"She's even worse than Winry...I didn't think that was possible," Ed growled, crossing his arms.

Naruto shrugged, "It could be worse..."

Ed rose an eyebrow, "...Worse?"

Naruto frowned, "...Err..."

Both boys sighed, hair nearly touching the ground as they both hung upside down, beaten bloody, from a tree.

"...Is it possible that'll we die when so much blood pumps into our head?" Naruto's question seemed valid...

Ed shook his head, "Severe cases of dizziness, sometimes losing consciousness, random urges to throw up..." Naruto rose an eyebrow curiously.

"...How do you know all of that?"

Ed seemed serious, "...Well, your Hokage isn't the only one prone to violence..." he looked at the blond ninja, "And no, this isn't my first time hanging from a tree..."

Both boys sighed, jumping slightly when they heard distinct screams of terror fill the air, along with loud barking and what Ed thought to be Greed's voice shouting 'Bite 'em! Bite 'em!'

Well, damn...

 **...Randomness ensued. ^^** Thanks for reading! :)


	125. The last thing before I died

**A/N:** I'm back! Thanks for waiting! :) Check out my profile page for any stories you might be interested in! :)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Guest:** Thank you so, so much! :) I really appreciate your review, thank you! And don't worry if you don't like Lena, I'm not mad or anything, really! She's an OC (and my first one at that) and not everyone can like her :) Thanks for your honesty!

 **Inspiration:** I listened to **"Down" by Jason Walker** while writing this and...it helps getting into the mood while reading this too! :') **_Text in italics at the end of chapter is a quote from the movie "Dear John"._**

* * *

 **The last thing before I died**

Blood slowly trickled down the side of his mouth, sliding down his cheek, jaw, neck and soaking into the cold, moist earth beneath his still body.

The spasms have stopped but the bleeding didn't, the blood flow only slowed slightly due to the absence of adrenalin pumping through his system, but not even that would save his life.

He had lost too much blood.

He hissed out a pained breath, his ribcage feeling heavy and contracting with the shaky breath that left him and the pain spiked again as he dug his blunt nails into the moist earth to cling onto something.

Mustang failed. They all failed. The war was never supposed to happen and yet...everything went downhill.

 _Things weren't supposed to be this way._

Alphonse was dead. Killed before his very eyes. Ed had gone on a bloody killing spree, killing every last soldier that had dared to block his path of hatred and vengeance for his brother. His body lay somewhere there, lifeless and bleeding from the wounds marking his body.

Mustang was dead, overwhelmed by the sheer forces of alchemists and soldiers that not even the legendary Flame Alchemist could surpass. Riza had died honorably with him, like she promised him she would, side by side, for eternity.

To hell and back.

Ling was fighting his own war in Xing, he had no idea how many casualties there were. If Ling and Mei were even alive. Enemy forces had swarmed Resembool and Central so quickly none of them knew what hit them when they arrived and killed everyone he ever cared for.

 _This war wasn't supposed to happen._

Yet this war _did_ happen, _was_ happening and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He was knocking on death's door when he heard muffled footsteps approaching him, when he tried to lift his head, dizziness and nausea washed over him and he quickly decided against to see who it was.

Had one of the enemy soldiers survived?

He blinked slowly, blood entering his right eye and making it sting as he tried clearing his increasingly blurry vision.

"Oh my god...E-Ed!" he relaxed when he heard the familiar voice of his wife, he relaxed his grip on the gun laying near his hand and smiled slowly.

 _Winry..._

"E-Ed," teary blue eyes filled his vision with a golden field of yellow as he felt the soft warmth of his wife, gentle, caring hands brushing his bloodied face and dirty hair covered with his own blood and dirt.

"H-hey...W-Win..." he forced a smile for her despite the pain in brought to his jaw and cheek muscles.

She shook her head quickly, her face covered with smudges of dirt and scratches, "No, no, don't speak please, we need to get you help. I'll try to find my medical kit, it has to be here somewhere-" but he shook his head slowly, the smile remaining on his bloody lips.

Her eyes grew wide in realization and she suppressed a sob.

They both knew this was the end.

He was laying in a pool of his own blood, even if she were able to stitch his wounds closed, he wouldn't survive this and they both knew it.

Internal bleeding, four broken ribs, a near to shredded stomach with the way the bullets riddled his midsection, a broken ankle, a concussion and a jarred shoulder.

Not even she was a miracle worker to this caliber, that much they both knew.

"B-but..." her voice broke, it sounded so helpless and desperate that Ed had the urge to get up and hug her close to him.

And that's what he did.

Mustering up every ounce of strength he still possessed in his fragile state, Ed heaved himself up, nearly vomiting the blood that kept traveling up his windpipe as he fiercely hugged her to him, her body tensing at the unexpected action.

He wasn't sure he could speak as clearly so she understood, but he would try, "I-It's f-f-fine," he fumbled with the 'f' before licking his bloodied lips, "I-I have to go n-now...Win..." he closed his eyes, feeling her for the last time.

The way her sweaty, blood covered hair still smelled of the shampoo she used this morning before they were attacked, the way the soft skin of her neck felt as he tiredly rubbed his face against it, the way her trembling arms hugged him so tightly to her he was afraid she would crack another rib and the way her soft voice spoke his name helplessly as he finally felt his strength leaving him, for the last time.

Feeling his weight begin to sag, Winry quickly supported his back as he began to fall backward, gently lowering him to the ground, watching with a crushed expression how the man that had managed to save the world he so loved was now at its mercy, the ever so bright fire in his eyes slowly fading and dulling, leaving behind tired, pained and saddened dull gold eyes.

Her body trembled and she reached a hand out to caress his face, not minding the blood, and to grab his limp hand and give it a hearty squeeze, "W-wait for me, Ed..." she grit her teeth against the urge to start sobbing uncontrollably, her heart strings tearing at the roots.

Ed smiled, a bright genuine smile that momentarily made her forget in what predicament they both were in, that made her think of fun and happy times she shared with him.

With what appeared to be his last breath, he whispered the words to her, "...Always Win,"

The tears spilled over her cheeks when he finally closed his eyes with a smile and she couldn't help but think of how, even in the direst situations, he still managed to smile.

Lowering her head, she rested it against the torn flesh of her husband, keen ears listening for any signs of life still within him.

She found none.

 _After I got shot..._

He fell back.

 _Right before everything went black..._

He smiled.

 _You wanna know the very_ _ **last**_ _thing that entered my mind?_

Winry's smiling face appeared in his mind and...

He was at peace.

 _You._

 **...I have no words to express how many sad videos I had to watch to write this...T_T**


	126. Rainy Days

**_A/N:_** Hello dear readers! This is a short EdWin one shot I've written on a rainy day ;)! Something sweet, something sad and something dorky on Ed and Winry's part!

 **Setting:** Set Post FMA:B, after Ed and Al went on their journeys and after Ed proposed to Winry on the train station!

 **Rating: T (mild cursing on Ed's part ^^)**

 **Genre: Romance/Humor/Violence (Winry's wrench causes concussions ;)**

* * *

 _ **Rainy Days**_

* * *

Thick droplets of clear liquid slid down the window as Winry gazed at the falling rain outside, the clouds were a dark grey, lightning up every so often and making their presence known by loud thunder shaking the sky.

Winry didn't like rainy days, when she used to be a child, it always meant she wasn't able to go outside and play with Ed and Al. But as the years passed, it meant something different.

Ed and Al never returned home on rainy days, mostly because they, especially Ed, hated to get wet and she would have most likely had his head for letting her automail rust in the rain. A rainy day meant another day where Ed and Al wouldn't come home. She would be alone with granny and Den, staring outside, praying for their safety and watching the droplets fall.

But now...Winry's hand slowly slid down the glass of the window, back to her side as she turned away from the view outside and petted Den on the head on her way to the kitchen.

Usually, granny never allowed Den to go in the house, but she was known to make exceptions on cold, rainy days. That is, if Den was dry _before_ entering the house. Winry knew as well as anyone that her grandmother hated rain like the pest, so she always gave in when Winry would try to sneak Den into the house without her knowing.

Winry made herself some hot chocolate, warming her hands around the warm cup as she gently blew on the sweet, brown liquid within it. It was late, eleven thirty-five and she was alone, sitting on the couch and her form covered with a blanket. She was wearing one of Ed's old sweaters, the white one, it was the softest one he owed, courtesy of Winry herself. If she hadn't forced him into going shopping for clothes that day, she swore the man wouldn't even know what _wool sweaters_ were.

She supposed the quietness of her home felt nice, to a degree anyway. Granny was in Rush Valley, participating in a contest for automail engineers, Winry herself had wanted to go but granny had told her someone had to stay at home in case Al or Ed returned. Of course, she stayed, since she had spent far more time in Rush Valley than her grandmother ever had.

She sighed, languidly stretching her legs beneath the warm blanket, briefly glancing down at her sleeping dog. She smiled warmly and basked in the quietness of her home. It felt nice, being a warm, comfy place while it poured outside, the soft patter of the rain hitting the windows and roof the only sound that broke the silence within the house.

Until the door suddenly slammed open, _loudly_.

Den immediately sprung up, barking angrily at the intruder, until he realized _who_ it was that slammed the door open. Winry jumped, nearly burning herself with hot chocolate as she tried to steady herself and not let anything spill over anywhere, granny would have her _head_ if anything landed on the carpet.

Quickly slamming it shut, the tall blond male groaned loudly, taking off his soaked through hat, long golden hair dripping with water and falling to the floor, soaking into the carpet beneath his feet.

Winry's wench was out in seconds, hitting its mark as the man yelped in pain when the harsh metal made contact with the back of his skull, sending waves of pain flashing through it as he rubbed at the aching spot soothingly, " _Ouch!_ " he turned around, sending a murderous glare at Winry, who glared right back.

Her voice was like a growl, "You're disturbing my peace, Ed!" there goes her peaceful evening...

He exploded, " _Oh I'm so sorry_ FOR DISTURBING YOUR PEACE!" he barked, making Den flatten his ears and take his spot on the floor, looking back and forth between the two adults. He was thankful he could dodge a wench swiftly enough.

Ed growled, shaking himself off and wringing out his hair, the droplets falling to the carpet on the floor, soaking it. Winry's eye twitched.

"Tch, here I am coming home from a long journey and all you can say is I'm _disturbing_ your-"

"Where is Alphonse?" she cut him off mid-sentence and he looked like he was about to have a seizure, his face red with anger and his finger poised in the air in her direction accusingly.

"WOULD YOU LISTEN TO ME?!" he panted from his shouting and his run all the way from the train station till here, he stretched his back, "Al said he would come next week. He's in Xing visiting Ling and Mei,"

Winry pouted almost in disappointment, turning her head away from the flabbergasted male, "Oh..." Ed's eye twitched dangerously.

" _Oh_?! What do you mean 'oh'?! I'm here too aren't I?!" he fumed, crossing his arms childishly, looking around the dimly lit room, "Hey...where's granny?" he scratched at his head, perplexed.

Winry sighed, "She's visiting Rush Valley, there's a contest there for automail engineers and she really wanted to go," Winry smiled warmly, taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

Ed hung his soaked coat on a coat rack, "And you didn't go?" he rose an eyebrow, relieved to find himself not completely soaked by the rain as he took off his shoes.

Winry shrugged, smiling and taking a sip of her hot chocolate, "I've been there far more often than granny and she really seemed excited about it. Besides, I've got Den here to keep me company. I didn't expect you to come so soon though," in truth, she felt relieved Ed was here yet at the same time she felt very, very nervous.

They _still_ hadn't talked about what happened at the train station, they were either too busy, didn't have free time or started their phone calls with maintenance questions and violent outbursts of anger about alchemy freaks and gear heads.

Winry felt her cheeks heat up when Ed rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, exposing the lower portion of his tan trained arms. She quickly looked away, nearly dislocating her neck at the speed which she turned her head with.

"S-so...the weather is nice huh?" Winry could have _slapped_ herself for uttering such a pointless and stupid question at a time like _this_.

Ed glanced outside at the pouring rain and nodded, "Yeah, all sunshine and rainbows," his wry grin told her he took it all in good joke and Winry mentally exhaled in relief, good, at least he wasn't in the mood to fight. Winry wasn't up for their usual fights this time, she felt a bit tired to be honest.

"Uhm, I'll be right back, gotta bring this up and change," he motioned awkwardly to his bag and Winry nodded, watching him ascend the stairs.

"Uh, if you want you can shower too, you know where the shower is," she called after him and hoped he heard her.

His affirmative shout was all she needed to hear, " _Gotcha_!"

Winry smiled and looked down at Ed, who was wagging his tail and seemed to _grin_ up at her, she swore the dog had evil intentions sometimes.

"What?" Winry huffed, trying to ignore the heat that creeped up her cheeks.

Not even half an hour later, she could already hear the tell tale signs of Ed descending the stairs, an even " _thud"_ with his human foot and a distinctive _"clang"_ with his automail as they touched the stairs. Ed had changed into a pair of simple pajama pants and a clean black shirt for the night.

In that moment, for unexplainable reasons, Winry wondered when Ed had forgone boxers and instead chose to wear long pajama pants as sleep wear. She remembered he used to wear boxers when he used to be fourteen, but since then, she had never seen him in boxers again.

Heat immediately filled her cheeks with blood and Winry almost spilled her hot chocolate over herself _again_ before she violently shook her head, rapidly telling herself she did _not_ feel disappointed at not seeing Edward in boxers. She chanted that quietly in her head when he plopped down beside her on the couch, causing her to freeze in place.

He was holding his own mug of hot chocolate in his hands, a marshmallow in his cup. It took Winry a few seconds to realize that Ed was holding another marshmallow between his fingers, silently offering her one as well. Winry timidly moved her mug closer and Ed let the white delicacy fall gently into the still warm liquid.

She smiled, watching how the marshmallow slowly but surely started deforming and decreasing in size, "It's been a while since I drank it like this..." she whispered quietly, fond memories rushing back to her of innocent games of tag and a certain boy's wide grin as he laughed at the fact she could never catch any of them in a game of tag.

Ed chuckled lowly, moving the mug close to his lips to blow gently and cool it, "Yeah, I haven't either," he took a sip, closing his eyes and smiling, "...but we used to drink this often as kids, nearly every time when it rained outside or we got sick because we had to take care of Al when he used to have the cold from playing outside," Ed chuckled, opening his eyes and looking at Winry, who had the same fond look on her face.

When she noticed the way he was looking at her, she shyly turned away, a blush taking near to permanent residence on her face as she looked down at her hot chocolate.

"Winry..." Ed began, his voice far too serious, the atmosphere was far too serious and Winry's nerves began to fray at the seams.

"Uhm, y-you travelled to the West right? So how was it? You know, your alchemy studies and all? Seen anything new?" she giggled nervously, smiling far too wide to be natural, her hands sweating as they briefly set the mug on the small table and rubbed on her pajama bottoms, trying to wipe away the moisture.

Ed frowned, clearly displeased at Winry's dodgy attitude, "Winry I-"

 _Again_ , "-You know, I think we should visit Al sometime, in Xing I mean, I heard Ling and Greed keep fighting over who is the actual 'Emperor' of Xing but-"

"Winry!" Ed shouted this time, one hand resting against the side of the couch while the other came to rest upon her hand on her knee, Winry's face resembled cherries, Ed's own wasn't far off from being mistaken to a tomato either.

She swallowed, feeling nervous and...almost uncomfortable at the steady and far too serious gaze Edward was fixing her with.

She had seen that determined expression before, but it was always directed at something other than her, when he talked about getting his and Al's bodies back...or fighting his hardest on the Promised Day.

She usually saw those stares within the private company of their friends and companions, but this time they were alone, alone in her – _their_ – house. No Alphonse to tell his brother how stupid or weird he was acting, no granny that stomped on his nerves, gave him something to do or promptly called Winry to look over some automail parts.

This time, he was going to talk about the incident at the train station, _without_ using alchemy references.

Ed sighed, finally noticing she had her full attention on him, "I uhm," he swallowed, fighting the blush on his face, "I-I kept trying to talk to you about...what happened back at the train station when you sent me off," Winry's blush grew deeper but Edward was determined _not_ to play the coward again.

Winry's hand felt entirely too warm under Ed's, the larger hand simply resting upon her own, the contact feeling far too intimate, too-

...new?

Winry shakily met his gaze, "I f-figured..." she sighed, trying to calm herself, "Listen Ed-"

This time, _he_ cut her off, "-W-what I said...it's I...I didn't really think it through alright?" he mumbled, a displeased frown marring his handsome features, "I mean, I _did_ think it through, of course I did, but it kinda got out wrong..." he scratched at the back of his neck awkwardly, "What I mean to say is-"

She promised this would be the last time she cut him off, "-Yes!" Ed blinked, suddenly not caring anymore that she interrupted him. Again.

All the blood in her body rushed to her face and she quickly covered it with her hands, " Uhm, I mean, I-I already told you I would give you my whole life, right?! No, wait! I said...eighty five percent? That's enough...right?"

Edward remained silent for a moment, until, just like at the train station so many months ago, he burst out laughing, holding his stomach for dear life. Winry pouted angrily, wishing her wrench was within range to throw it at his laughing face.

When he finally stopped laughing, his gaze was soft, his eyes warm and kind as they gazed upon her and he took her hand fully into his own, making her release a small squeak of surprise at his bold actions, "You never fail to completely turn alchemy upside down, huh?" he gave her one of his roguish grins, "...But that was one of the things that made me fall in love with you, Win,"

His unexpectedly bold and very sweet declaration made her heart go a mile a minute, but she finally gathered her courage and squeezed his hand back, leaning in to finally say it out loud, "W-well, you being a dense idiot and a weird alchemy freak didn't exactly help me accepting my feelings for you sooner!" Winry shouted, as if completely overhearing what Edward had just said, despite reacting so strongly to it.

Ed guffawed, " _Excuse me?_ _Dense?!_ WHO JUST PRETENDED NOT TO KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT?!" Ed shouted in her face, his temper getting the better of him as he was accused of being a _dense idiot_!

"W-well, you are one! Besides, you just...just don't go using alchemy to _propose_ to someone Ed!" Winry fumed, not noticing the increasing redness that spread over her counterparts entire face.

"Tch, if you weren't such a GEARHEAD then maybe it would have gone smoother! Tch, completely spitting on the laws of equivalent exchange..." both blondes crossed their arms, huffing in exasperation as they did.

"Well...at least this time, you didn't do half bad..." Winry commented lowly, a small smile tugging on the corners of her lips.

Ed twitched, a small grin stretching over his own lips, "Yeah well...at least you gave half a decent answer this time..." he slowly turned his head to look at her and found her blushing and smiling at him.

They both grinned and laughed.

 **The end! Thank you all for reading! :) (bows) Your opinions on this are greatly appreciated!**


	127. At your resting place, I bow

**A/N:** Hello my dear readers and followers! :) I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long prior to publishing the last chapter yesterday. :P I've suddenly received hundreds of requests for crossovers and other fandoms and I had a lot of research to do .

 **QUESTION:** Anyone watched the (awesome) anime " ** _Bartender"_** before? It's **_gold_**! ^^ haha I've found out that there are only three stories on its fanfic site, so I published a story " **A Writer's Soul"** (on my profile) and am planning to write more (ex. Bittersweet Amaretto)! :3

* * *

 ** _At your resting place, I bow_**

 _Wow...so you sweet talked your mechanic, eh?_

 _Ahh, seduced your mechanic, have you?_

 _Well, I heard there's a pretty lady in the room to service you!_

 _Look! LOOK! ELICIA'S SO CUTE!_

 _You know Edward, having a cute girl like that to care for you must be nice, don't make a mistake and lose the treasure you already have._

 _Young boys your age weren't meant to experience any of this, but you have and all you can do now is hold your head high and move forward, because that's the only thing that will keep you alive in a hell such as this._

 _Ed, my boy, back already?_

 _Ohhh look at this! My darling wife Gracia! And look at THIS! Our cute daughter Elicia! Look at her! She's my pride and joy!_

 _One day, when you'll have someone so small to be able to cradle in your arms you'll understand the joy a father feels when he cradles his child in his arms or shows them off to others, your wallet will be full of pictures of your family._

 _Ah! There's Ed! Edward, my boy! And his cute little mechanic!_

"Yeah, yeah, you're the same as ever Colonel, nice and insa-" gold eyes widened and his breath hitched when he realized again where he was standing.

His eyes were wide as he stared down at the simple gravestone, flowers laid in front of it with the name of the person he was just remembering.

Ed lowered his head, a small smile on his face as his bangs covered his eyes, "I..." his fists clenched tightly, broad shoulders shaking with effort.

"I'm sorry...Lt. Colonel," came the whispered voice as he lowered his head in a respectful bow.

 _The moment a soldier dons his uniform, he accepts that he might be buried in it._

 **Next chapter? Sad? Happy? Funny? Or fluffy/romance? ^^**


	128. The Cold

**_A/N:_** I have no idea, as you guys may have guessed, about married life or uh...well relationships in general really, since I haven't been in one so far. :3 Basically, I'm writing what I think/imagine I would do for my partner if the brutal situation occurs where he gets sick and I would take care of him ^^ And of course what I imagine Ed and Winry would do for each-other.

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Panic:** Aw, thank you! To be honest, I've been focusing on so many other projects, that I've been worried I would write the characters too OOC (which I probably did now with Ed :P) but uh well yeah ^^ Thanks for the compliments buddy! :) It's one of the reasons why I'm still here (the lovely reviews haha)

 **Jadasimone16:** Trust me, me neither haha :)

 **Daughterofapollo12345:** Thanks so much! /^_^/ I've tried imagining how they would react, post FMA:B ending, I hope I did a good job tho! I gotta confess, I've been feeling slightly discouraged, mainly about the negative reviews/PMs I've been receiving lately :P

 ** _Summary:_** _Where Winry has a harsh cold and Ed takes care of her._

* * *

 ** _The Cold_**

"Achoo!"

" _Achoo!"_

 _"_ _AH-_ Oh, thank you granny," Winry smiled appreciatively at the elder woman, who held a tissue in front of her granddaughter's nose, her face contorting into a concerned expression.

Winry took the offered tissue, blowing her nose into it and grimacing at the slimy, thick substance that escaped her nose and persistently seemed to cling onto her nose before hastily wiping it away.

"You don't seem so good dear," Pinako commented, sighing, "Why don't you take a break for today? We don't have so many customers and I can handle the rest," the old woman noticed her granddaughter acting strangely since this morning, sneezing at every opportunity and wearing thick socks and complaining about being cold.

"Oh, no, no, I can't granny. I've got too much to do, I still need to do a quick maintenance check for Ed's leg and-" Pinako hushed the young woman by helping her up from her stool and dragging her away from her workbench.

"Nonsense, I can do that later, I'm sure Ed won't mind. He's repairing the shed now anyway so I won't be able to drag him off anytime soon," the old woman persisted as she gently pushed Winry in the direction of the stairs, "Go and change and lay down in bed while I make you some tea,"

Winry smiled tiredly, wiping her nose as she slowly ascended the stairs, feeling like she had been repeatedly hit by a truck.

" _HEY YOU MIDGET!"_ Winry's eyes widened when she heard her grandmother's voice shout from downstairs.

" _WHAT IS IT YOU LITTLE BEANSPROUT GRANNY?!"_ came Edward's affirmative call back.

" _COME HERE WOULD YOU!"_ she heard Pinako shout before she winced at the booming voice that shouted back defiantly.

" _WHY SHOULD I?!"_ she rolled her eyes at his attitude, he was such a kid sometimes.

" _BECAUSE YOU WILL DIE OF STARVATION WHEN THERE'S NOBODY TO MAKE YOU STEW!"_ at that the shouting match ceased and Winry smiled, shaking her head.

All and any arguments would end after that empty threat, no matter how many times granny used that old line, it never failed to keep Ed in line...mostly.

She heard a loud sigh, most probably from Edward, before several minutes later the door shut closed.

There were brief murmurings coming from downstairs, too muffled and incomprehensible to understand and then the house grew suspiciously quiet again.

She sighed, shaking her head, slowly removing her overalls, before sighing in frustration when her arm got caught on the sleeve.

"Let me help you with that," she jumped when she felt a warm, large hand settle on her shoulder, before the other went to untangle her arm from within the confines of her sleeve, she blushed faintly when she realized Edward was behind her.

"E-Ed w-what-" the man gently helped her out of her overall and sweaty, thick wool socks, tossing them onto the floor.

"Granny said you were sick, so I came to check on you," he smiled, carefully untangling her high pony tail and the pulsing headache that had settled in her head seemed to have eased from the action as her husband tenderly combed his fingers through her long tresses, undoing the knots her hair had formed into during the stressful day.

She hummed, muttering a soft thanks before squeaking when he suddenly lifted her into his arms, "E-Ed! I can w-walk!" she buried her face against his sweaty neck, feeling hot and cold at the same time.

A deep chuckle reverberated from within his chest and she couldn't help but smile at the pleasant sound, "I know, I just like to spoil you every once and awhile," he whispered softly as he pulled back the covers of their bed and gently laid her onto the mattress, quickly covering her with the comforter.

Winry smiled, "Thank you Ed,"

Ed nodded, smiling, "No problem. Still feeling hot?" Winry ignored the way his smile made her feel, even after the short years of being married and smiled.

"No, not so much anymore," Ed smiled, gently ruffling her hair before placing a kiss on her sweaty forehead.

"I'll go fetch your tea," she nodded when he said that and made his way out of their room.

She sighed heavily, nuzzling into the pillow, the same pillow he usually slept on and inhaling his scent, already feeling a bit better.

Life with Edward had been anything _but_ boring, much less normal. While not being able to use alchemy anymore, he still provided valuable research for the State Military and retained his State Alchemist license that way. Mustang also sent him on small errands here and there, just for old times' sake as well as on a few difficult missions he knew Edward wouldn't have a problem dealing with.

Ed's services usually came in tandem with Al, but the younger Elric had grown accustomed travelling more toward the East, to Xing.

Letters were exchanged in monthly intervals and Ed and her often thought up of ways of teasing the younger Elric about his obvious infatuation with the Xingese princess.

As far as Mei was concerned, her feelings had been clear from the beginning. She was basically waiting for the first date pronouncement before she would propose on the next day, as enthusiastic as the young woman was, both knew that once Alphonse gathered the courage to confess, it would be amusing to watch a equally exciting and protective Ling dealing with two lovebirds in his circle of friends.

As for Ling, he and Lan Fan had come to terms with their feelings for each-other, but they enjoyed it in secret until the concubine system was successfully annulled, with Ling fending off hundreds of proposals and eager women – young and old – who were more than eager to share his fortune as Emperor of Xing.

Winry smiled when Ed came back, carrying a tray of steaming tea, cookies and a thermometer. She adjusted herself to a sitting position so Ed could place the tray on her lap carefully, she couldn't help but give him a look at the small daisy flower next to her cup.

"You're so sweet sometimes," she smiled, pinching his cheek affectionately before she wrinkled her nose and rubbed it with a clean tissue.

Ed smirked, raising an eyebrow, "Only sometimes?" he chuckled when Winry attempted to swat at him.

"Now, come on, open up," Ed wiggled the thermometer around and Winry pouted, reluctantly freeing her arm from the warm confines of their bed and lifting one part of her shirt so she could wedge it between her armpit.

Ed placed a cool hand on her forehead and grimaced, "You're pretty warm," Winry frowned, feeling slightly dizzy, "Hey, hey, you with me?" he smiled soothingly, steadying her by her shoulders and she felt her head stopped spinning.

"Mhmm...sorry...just dizzy," Ed nodded, carefully adjusting her pillow and letting her head rest lower on the bed, her dizziness steadied and the room stopped spinning.

"Better?" Ed scanned her from head to toe for any signs of discomfort.

"Mhmm...thank you, Ed," she smiled drowsily and he shook his head.

"I'll get you some new socks, you've sweated through the others ones." He teased with a soft grin, "Can't believe a human is capable of producing so much liquid in such a short amount of time, then again I shouldn't be surprised, considering how much you produce when we are in the bedro-argh!" he yelped, swiftly dodging the next object she weakly threw at him: her second wrench.

"Ow! That was a fact woman! Calm down! Sick people aren't supposed to throw things!" Ed frowned, rubbing the side of his head.

Winry's face resembled Ed's former trademark coat, partly from her fever, partly from mortification at her husband's blunt suggestive remarks.

"S-shut up! Idiot! Pervert!" she drawled, sounding half drunk, half angry, due to her cogged nosestrils and sore throat.

"Alright, alright already," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he exited their bedroom to pluck the fresh socks which were left to hang outside in the fresh air.

He shared a look with Pinako just before he ascended the stairs and he smiled and winked, the old woman smiled and shook her head, tending to the next customer that was waiting for her back in the room.

"Feet please," Ed commanded playfully and swiftly lifted the cover only slightly to expose Winry's wriggling feet, finding them to be warm to the touch as her toes wiggled in his grasp, "How are you cold? Your feet are warm,"

Winry rapidly shook her head, "No...'m feeling cold," she shivered, wrapping the comforter around her shoulders tighter.

Ed frowned, quickly cladding her feet in a fresh pair of thicker socks and wrapping them up in the extra blanket that covered her body, securely making sure no cold air could touch them.

He heard the telltale beeping noise of the thermometer and he held his hand out as Winry wrestled with the comforter and her pajama, before successfully pulling out the beeping thermometer.

Ed's eyes narrowed when they zeroed in on the small numbers.

 _105,8 Fahrenheit (41 Celsius)_

 _"_ _Damn..."_ Ed cursed mentally, before looking at his poor sick wife.

He quickly took the now warm, damp cloth from her forehead and bathed it in ice cold water, wringing the excess water from it and gently, soothingly rubbing her neck, collarbone and face with it, a small drowsy smile stretched over her lips.

"Thanks Ed...feels better," she mumbled, half asleep, half tired. His face contorted in worry and Winry couldn't help but giggle hoarsely.

"You're adorable when you worry," she smiled impishly.

Ed sighed, a small smile on his face as he rubbed the cloth over her heated skin, "And you're worrisome when you're sick,"

The fact that Winry Rockbell even _was_ sick was a rarity in itself, but once she was, it was something to worry over. When she would become ill, the illness would hit her hard. Whether a mere cold, the flu or anything else. She would always be bound to the bed, too ill to tend to her customers and too tired to do house chores or work on her automail.

Usually, Ed would physically need to drag her away from her workbench, but this time it seemed she was more exhausted than he initially thought.

"Here, drink this," Ed held a cool glass of water in one hand and a single white pill in the other and held it out to her.

Winry wobbly sat up using her elbow to support her weight but grimaced at the medication, "I don't need it..." she coughed, using her arm to prevent coughing directly on her husband.

The Fullmetal Alchemist rolled his eyes at his stubborn wife, "Come on Win, you have to if you want to get better and work on your automail like the gearhead you are," he teased with a grin, watching her ponder it for a while before reluctantly take the offered pill.

"...I'm only...doing this for my people..." she wheezed out, throat parched after downing her cup of tea only minutes before.

Ed deadpanned, "...Your people?" he tilted his head to the side, "You mean those automail fanatics that fawn over you and your works whenever they enter the house?"

Winry managed a small half smirk, "Jealousy is an ugly thing, Edward," she stuck her tongue out playfully, before moving the cup to her lips, "...Besides...they're my customers, they rely on me to help them whenever their limbs don't work,"

Ed snorted, "Uh-huh," he rolled his eyes, "Granny is still down there so they don't need to worry about that." His expression softened when she grimaced in disgust at the taste of the pill as she roughly swallowed it.

"Get some rest," he patted her head gently, wrapping her sweaty hair in a loose bun so it didn't plaster to her heated, sweaty skin as the moisture he had applied to it earlier with the cloth began to cool, granting her some relief against the searing heat that seemed to envelop her entire body, save for her freezing feet.

Nausea seemed a permanent resident in her abdomen now and she weakly rubbed her hand against it in a attempt to soothe it, but it only got worse. Ed's eyes slanted in sympathy and he leaned in to remove the cool cloth on her forehead briefly to kiss the sweaty skin, before putting it on her forehead again and helping her settle against the covers.

"I'll bring you some food once you get some rest, if you need anything just call I'll be downstairs with granny, ok?" he looked over his shoulder at his wife, who already fell asleep.

With a worried feeling in his heart, Ed slowly closed the door with a soft click behind him and let Winry sleep.

* * *

She clung to him like a toddler would to his parent as Ed effortlessly carried her from their bedroom into the bathroom, arms and legs gripping at his torso as his hands supported her back and rear, a towel thrown over one shoulder and her fresh nightwear on his other one.

Sighing heavily as she inhaled his scent and was only able to smell exactly nothing due to her clogged nose, Winry slowly slid down her husband with his help as she came to wobbly stand on her own two feet, the steaming bathtub already filled with comforting, warm water.

"Arms up," Winry couldn't help but smile, despite her cold, how attentive and sweet her stubborn husband could be when he wanted, one of these instances was when she was ill. To everyone's surprise, in their early years of marriage when she had gotten sick, he had been very supportive and helpful, doing anything he could to help her recover, that hadn't changed until today as he gently lifted her sweaty shirt over her head and above her arms, throwing it in the laundry basket beside them.

Next came her bra and when Winry caught a very faint whiff of its smell, she grimaced, "Ed...please throw it in the sink so I can..wash it later, even I smell how bad it smells,"

Much to her embarrassment and mild horror, Ed smelled the dangling straps of her bra experimentally, trying to deduce whether it smelled bad or not and he shook his head, "Women, you and your paranoia about smelling bad," nevertheless, he tossed the garment into the sink to be washed for later.

Winry rolled her eyes and modestly covered her breasts, Ed's face flushed briefly when he stopped his task of undressing his sick wife and took her in all her half naked glory.

Quickly shaking his head, he let Winry step out of her loose cotton pants and panties, disposing them in the laundry basket as well.

"Um..." Ed seemed dumbfounded, before shaking his head again, clearing his throat, "Right, sorry," one hand came to support her back as the other snaked under her knees and lifted her into his arms.

Winry giggled slightly, face flushed from the warm temperature of the bathroom and the fact she could make her husband blush and shy even after the few years they've been married.

She sighed in relief when the warm steaming water met her skin, momentarily creating goose bumps all over her flesh until her body got used to the temperature change and melted into a puddle of goo against the bathtub, letting her head rest back against the edge of the tub.

Her eyes opened slightly when she felt Ed nudging her head and when she lifted it slightly, she found he placed a soft, small towel under it so she was comfortable.

She smiled. He was such a sweet dork.

"Hey, scoot over," her eyes shot open when she heard him say that but contrary to what she believed, namely that he stripped and wanted to join her in her bath, he was still fully clothed and was holding a sponge in one hand and shampoo in the other.

Trying to hide her disappointment, Winry lifted herself off the bathtub, sitting in the stomach high water and presenting her back to her husband.

"What are you frowning for?" Ed tilted his head to the side, confused at his wife's sudden sour mood as he applied some shampoo to the sponge in his hand and gently ran it in soothing circles on his wife's shoulder blades.

"...Nothing..." she mumbled under her breath, heaving a heavy sigh. Well...she was sick...not everything could go her way after all.

Unbeknownst to her, her husband was having the time of his life snickering and grinning like a fool behind her, fully aware of the source of her disappointment.

* * *

" _Eddd...Edddd...Edwaaard..."_ the half dead, haphazardly sprawled woman was mumbling incoherently into her pillow, half of it covered in drool and sweat, the blanket messily tangled in her legs and the cool cloth that rested previously on her forehead had for some inexplicable reason moved to her butt as she had rolled onto her stomach.

The door slammed open and Edward's panting, wet, half naked state was revealed in all his masculine glory, a towel wrapped around his head to prevent the excess water from his hair to drip onto the floor and a towel was firmly wrapped around his waist held by his hand, eyes wide and scanning the room for any possible danger, "What?! What is it?! I heard you screaming!"

...Her hoarse, zombie-like voice could be hardly called screaming, but to his...husband...ish instincts it must have sounded like screaming, sending off alarm bells ringing in his head when he had heard his wife's helpless plea.

"...I want...teaa..." she drawled, not at all sorry for dragging the man out of his morning shower... _not at all_.

Ed resisted the urge to combust from the sudden surge of annoyance and instead, sighed with a small smile, "...Sure thing," he turned around, smirking, "Just next time, don't forget to cover your face with a pillow, I can see where you're looking at you know," his laughter could be heard all the way from the bathroom, surpassed only by Winry's short yell of mortification at being caught red handed ogling her husband.

* * *

She smiled gratefully when she swallowed down another mouthful of soup, this time just a bit easier. It was already the second week of her illness and their bedroom had been turned into a quarantine-like place, Pinako had steered clear of their bedroom so she wouldn't catch the stubborn cold herself, which appeared more and more like the flu instead of a cold.

Edward couldn't help but smile tenderly at his tired wife, wiping away the small amount of liquid that escaped her lips when he spoon fed her the soup, the thick comforter reached till her chin, a thinner second blanket additionally wrapped around her body. The complaints of sudden coldness and hotness had decreased slightly, but Ed made sure her fever wouldn't come back, changing her cool cloth every five minutes and changing her clothes at least three times a day to rid the smell of her sweat and discomfort to her.

It had been one hell of two weeks for him, running around tending to his sick wife, getting chores done in the house and making pit stops at the town for groceries and Winry's medication. Al had been a great help, mainly helping Pinako and easing off her workload as the woman tried teaching the younger man some basic knowledge of medical treatment in case something were to happen on his travels.

"I'm feeling a lot better than a few days ago..thanks Edward," she smiled and despite the redness surrounding her nose, the swollen skin around her eyes and the hoarse tone to her normally smooth voice, Ed smiled and leaned down, kissing her cheek gently, feeling warm around the area of his heart suddenly.

"No problem, Winry," he smiled, turning the cloth on her forehead and switching sides, letting the now warm side face the ceiling.

"...I must have been a real bother, huh? I'm sorry Ed," she blew into her tissue and Ed grabbed the nearby trash can and threw the overly used tissue in it, the trash can, which he had emptied just this morning, was already beginning to pile up on tissues.

But her husband chuckled and shook his head, rubbing his nose with her red one tenderly, "Stupid," he grinned at her, "If I can't take care of some cold, then I can hardly be called a husband now can I?" he winked and Winry couldn't help but smile and squeeze his larger hand with her smaller one, which emerged from under the two layered fortress of blankets it crawled from.

Ed suddenly stood up, much to Winry's confusion.

Taking off his shoes, socks and shirt, now only left in his pants and undershirt, Ed lifted the covers of one side, making Winry shiver violently at the sudden cool rush of ice cold air hitting her overheated body before he slipped inside and wrapped one arm around her body, pulling her back so her back met his solid chest.

Slowly turning her head, feeling foggy and disorientated, Winry was about to say something when Ed suddenly pecked her sweaty forehead and turned her around, muttering softly into her hair, "Sleep you automail freak, no more work for you for another week,"

And for once in her life, Winry couldn't agree more.

Yeah...no more work for her for another week. As she inhaled the scent of her husband laying beside her, curled within his embrace so protectively, she felt content to just lay in bed all day and sleep away her cold.

* * *

" _Achoo! A-Ah-Acho!"_ rubbing at the snot running down his nose, Ed gratefully accepted the tissue Winry handed him, blowing into it strongly and falling back heavily into his messy bed, feeling a pounding headache coming on, "I'm dying Win...I can feel it...I...I don't have much longer..." he let out a mighty cough, feeling his throat burn.

Winry rolled her eyes, resting her hands on her hips, "Stupid Ed...you're not dying, you just caught a cold," adjusting his pillow and pulling the covers over him properly, she made sure he was fully covered with the fresh blankets.

"I told you not to kiss and cuddle me while I was ill..." her tone was close to patronizing but her face showed off a beautiful, appreciative smile.

Ed coughed, resting his forearm over his eyes as he heaved and his chest was wracked with deep breaths and coughing fits, "Tch...if a...uh.. some dwarf in a flask suffering from some...god complex can't...preven' me from cuddling ya...then a stupi' cold can' either..." his speech started slurring, muffled by his arm and the sticky substance coating his throat.

The bed dipped under Winry's weight suddenly and when Ed removed his forearm to investigate, he was suddenly assaulted by a flurry of butterfly kisses and happy giggles breathed against his heated skin.

"You stupid dork! Why did I have to fall in love with an idiot like you?" despite her words, there was a smile on her face as she peppered his face with soft kisses and Ed sighed in relief, already feeling better.

Ed felt himself blushing, being overwhelmed with open affection like this from his wife, nevertheless, even in his half disorientated, half exhausted state, he still reveled in his wife's soft embrace and lovely kisses.

"Heh...I told you I'd give at least...halfa my life to you..." nuzzling tiredly into the softness of his wife's bossom, he started becoming drowsy and sleepy, feeling her run her hands soothingly through his sweaty hair.

Winry smiled, shaking her head, "And I told you I'd give at least eighty five percent of it to you, alchemy freak," placing a soft kiss on top of his head, Winry smiled when she heard the soft murmur of her husband before he fell asleep.

"...automail...freak," he smiled stupidly, nuzzling into her.

If catching a cold and going through hell for a few weeks meant being tended to like this, he would happily get sick every week if it meant being cuddled by his wife like this...

Oh yeah...he would definitely get sick every week for this.

He would even endure a stupid cold for this.

 **The end! Please bear with my odd moods ^^**


	129. Of Authors and Devils

**"** **Letters from War" Notice:** I'm currently working on the next chapter of "Letters from War" as we speak, or uh...read, for those who read this story as well as my other story ^^. Anyway, the next chapter will be titled _"The Smile of the Devil"_. Stay tuned and read you soon! ;)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Guest:** Aww, thank you so, so much! :) I feel honored being praised so! Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

 **Jadasimone16:** Hmmm...true, true. Maybe Automail Alchemist? Something like, using alchemy to transmute base metals into automail parts or something like that lol or maybe manipulating metals? (shrugs)

 **Lily:** haha cool! ^^ I gotta confess, while I was writing this I was remembering that not even two weeks ago, I had suffered from a persistent cold and when I remembered how absolutely shitty I felt, I felt sorry for Winry in that chapter :P

 **NOTE:** Alright, so here "Truth" will be in the role of the author (or me in some way lol) and Satan will be...well he will be himself ^^. Parody fic! :D

 **Of Authors and Devils**

 _Do authors cry when they kill the best characters or...?_

 _They smile and laugh then have tea with Satan._

"So, how did your latest chapter go?" Satan asked conversationally, already smirking behind the rim of his tea cup.

Truth groaned in exasperation, "Well...not too good, my friend. You see, at the climax of the story, you know my story, right?" Truth stared him in the eye and the devil rolled his eyes.

"Which one? You've got too bloody many!" he leaned back in his chair, sipping tea again as he crossed his legs.

Truth rolled her eyes too, "Typical. I can't imagine being a _man_ _and_ the devil is good for your health," Satan spluttered, before Truth continued speaking, "Anyway, it's the story about the military. You know, where a mechanic and a soldier fall in love and all that?" **(A/N: Yes, I just made a reference to "Letters from War")**

Satan rose an eyebrow, "What did you do? Make them die in the front lines?" he examined his nails nonchalantly before fixing his friend with a look.

Truth sighed, mood depressed, "No, no, no...I killed off a very, very lovable character..." she sniffed, rubbing at her eyes, "Such a shame too...he was like...the father I never had..."

Satan deadpanned, "...We are two immortal, godly beings-"

"Alright, alright, shut up, I get it." She threw her hands in the air, gulping down her tea, "You know I have a flair for dramatics, dear Satan!"

The handsome demon grinned, "And how did your readers react?" he rested his chin on his hand, intrigued.

Truth grinned sheepishly, "Well..."

Images conjured before the two sitting deities and Satan's eyes widened when he saw them.

One picture depicted a crowd, one of the people in the crowd held up a poster that said, ' _MILK YOU AUTHOR-SAN! I HOPE YOU'RE HIT BY A BUS!'_

Truth rolled her eyes at Satan's glance, "Yeah, yeah...that ain't the worst of it,"

He read the next one, it was a forum.

 _Catgirl92 posted: "OMG! OMFG! Did you guys just read the latest chapter?! Did you SEE what happened?! He was killed! He got killed! The most lovable man got killed! Why does it always have to be the cute ones?! WHY AUTHOR-SAN!?"_

 _FullmetalPrincess posted: (starts hyperventilating) I don't know how to take this, I've read it just now and...and...WHY SENPAI?! WHY!? WHAT DID THAT POOR MAN DO TO YOU?! Why do authors kill off precious characters?! He was just a pure, precious cinnamon roll at the wrong place at the wrong time! T_T"_

 _ChatNoir66 reacted to FullmetalPrincess' post "T_T": "So true. Couldn't have said it better myself. I thought the war was supposed to continue with HIM fighting with everyone else?! Why did he have to die just when they-! Just...ugh...no...I...I need to be alone._

 _Catgirl92 reacted to ChatNoir66's post ":(": I know how you feel bro, right in the kokoro. T_T I sense a tragedy coming up after this, I can't begin to imagine how the other characters will react to his death. It's just...so unfair, it's horrible...I HATE YOU AUTHOR-SAN! I WANT TO SEE BLOOD!"_

Satan whistled lowly, clapping slowly, "Well, well, well, you sure have dedicated readers. Enough to threaten you when you killed off a character. I'd say congratulations on gaining so much popularity, but that would ruin the fun, now wouldn't it?" he grinned, a flash of sharp teeth and mischievous grins.

"Oh shut up! Now I made my precious readers cry!" Truth sighed heavily, "Well, I suppose it can't be helped, after all the death of a fellow comrade or family member helps characters grow emotionally..."

Satan deadpanned bluntly, "You're just using that as an excuse..."

" _Anyway_ , I think a new death may be beneficial-"

"For _whom?_ " Satan interrupted, his friend ignored him.

"-Now, I don't want to kill off my main characters yet, or maybe not at all. Killing minor characters doesn't impact the readers as much...hmm...I guess it will have to be someone from the main cast but who?" Truth rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

Satan shook his head, "Don't tell me you spend your merry days sitting here and thinking of what characters to kill, _God_?" Satan's use of her title made her grimace.

"Very funny, but no. I have my duties to fulfill too," she paused, giving him a look, "Now, will you finally listen to me and tell me about how I killed them? I think my readers' reactions are adorable!" she gushed, giggling almost maniacally.

Now Satan was by no means a saint, but even he couldn't help but feel worried for his friend's sanity.

And killing off loveable characters?

Now that's just rude.

 **Something random, something short :3 BTW: Anyone here interested in Greek Mythology? I've been meaning to write a story with Poseidon (maybe an OC) :)**


	130. Flame vs Fullmetal: I Can do it Better

**Hello everyone! Another chapter, hopefully half decent ^^** I've been in a bit of a pinch, stressful days, stressful plans for the future, that sort of thing, hope everything works out okay. :)

 **Alternate title: Surrender Sometimes**

 **Flame vs Fullmetal: I Can do it Better**

"Huehuehuehue," Ed grinned broadly, feeling his confidence _skyrocketing_ , "What's wrong Mustang? Can't keep it _up_?" he snickered, grinning like a madman as he laughed at Roy's shaking body.

"Shut up you brat! I'm doing just fine!" the flame alchemist snarled right back at the youth, concentrating back on trying to keep his balance.

They were both respectable adults.

Really...they were.

They just decided to enter in friendly contests every now and then and sadly Mustang was losing.

"Give it up old man! You're no match for me!" Ed laughed, triumphantly raising his head as he managed to keep himself perfectly balanced on his one arm, in a sit-up position, "Don't try to keep up with me or you'll break a bone or two!" he stuck his tongue out at the other man and Roy grimaced.

"Why you little-" Roy was about to say a very colorful word until his girlfriend deadpanned with a straight face.

"You're falling behind," she held up a board and Winy held the other board, each of them showing their points respectively.

So far...

 _Edward – 15, Roy – 9_

Roy hollered out, " _I'M TRYING, OKAY?!"_ his stance shook once again and he reluctantly moved the arm that had rested on his back to use it as extra balance on the ground.

Who was he kidding, he may not be old, but it _has_ been a while since he last did something like this, much less do over a hundred pushups _one handed_.

He had been confused how Edward didn't seem to mind the strain too much, but it suddenly clicked when Winry looked on confidently at her boyfriend's antics.

He used to have an automail arm nearly his whole life before, surely whenever he came here, Winry would perform maintenance checks on it or repair it completely, knowing Edward's... _adventurous_ journeys. That would have left him without the second arm, but he still trained with Alphonse.

That meant also, at one point or another, doing sit ups _with only one arm!_

" _Why did I agree to this again?"_ Roy's earlier confidence deflated like a balloon and he sighed heavily, slowly standing up from his position.

Everyone looked at him quizzically, before Roy held up a hand, "Timeout for me, okay?" he waved at a confused Edward, who fell face first into the dirt, no longer concentrating on keeping his balance.

"W-What?! No way! Ya can't just- just _LEAVE_!" Edward hollered after the walking male, waving his fist, "COME AT ME MUSTANG! I DARE YOU!" meanwhile Winry was trying to calm her furious boyfriend down, only to start a mutual shouting match between the couple.

Riza rose an eyebrow when Roy sat down next to her on the chair, resting his forearm against the table, "I'm surprised you decided to break the competition. You usually don't back out of a challenge,"

Roy smiled, it was a small, almost sad smile and that made Riza worry. He looked up at the blue sky suddenly, watching how grey clouds were beginning to close in on what was left of the blue sky and the shining sun, "Sometimes, it's better to surrender than keep on going." Riza only listened but Roy could sense her curiosity and confusion, "The same applies to battles, but also everyday situations." The hand that had been slack on the table suddenly curled into a fist, "Had I listened to such words earlier, maybe I could have stopped many things from happening,"

And then, Riza knew what he was talking about.

His blind rage when he had tried to kill Envy, when he had _finally_ found out who killed his best friend.

The dark abyss Riza never wanted to see him in again, for the rest of her life.

She looked towards the darkening sky, wondering what he was thinking, "...How would things change?" she waited patiently for his answer and after several seconds of silence, he spoke calmly.

"Hm...I'm not sure myself," his gaze traveled to his boots, "Getting scolded by a child and my enemy, for example," he let out a small, humorless chuckle, "Or having to see the look of fear in your eyes, on that day..." Riza sensed his gaze was on her and she turned her head to look at him, his expression was serious, "I've never seen you show fear, Riza. Not in the Ishval war, save for what Kimblee had put you through, not in the military program and all the missions we were forced to carry out, not when the whole world was frightened to be destroyed...and not when you were about to die...because of my _foolishness_ ," the fist on the table began to shake, "What drove me to pursue Hughes' killer were my own insecurities, my own... _fears_ ,"

He inhaled sharply, "When Hughes died...I'd felt like a big part of me died that day as well...together with my hopes, dreams and plans." His bangs covered his eyes, his lips set in a thin line, "It was you that gave me courage and brought me back. With the help of Edward and Scar, it was you that brought me out of my blind rage back then as well..." he looked into her eyes again, "It was always you..." his face was contorted into a mask of pain and remorse.

Riza's own echoed his emotions, "Roy..."

"Had I simply abandoned my hatred and sick obsession to kill Hughes' killer...to kill Envy ...maybe you would have been spared the sight of seeing what a _monster_ I truly am," he averted his gaze once again, fist shaking.

Riza placed a soothing but firm hand on his shaking fist, gently but firmly prying it open and snaking her hand into his to hold onto tightly, "Don't be silly," Roy's eyes met hers, "Everyone has a side they don't want to show to their friends or family...I've known you long enough to not be afraid of that side, no matter what happens. I know you'd never harm your friends if you were like that again, you'd be reckless and stupid, and you would harm yourself, but never your friends." She paused to collect her thoughts, still holding his hand, "You may have threatened to burn Edward's hand off back then, but I knew you wouldn't have done it, even in your blind rage. Despite being reigned by emotions, a person still identifies their allies and in most cases, would refrain from attacking or harming them."

She rubbed her thumb on the sharp bone on his hand, "We've been through a lot Roy, we've seen each-others weaknesses and were there during our worst moments." She smiled then, "You've witnessed my bloodlust and blind rage back then too..." Roy's eyes widened, "When I thought Lust had killed you...I had used up all my ammo on her, trying to kill her, but in my rage I didn't care that she was healing herself with the stone, I only wanted to inflict some type of damage to her for harming you," her voice quivered, "...If Alphonse hadn't been there, she would have easily killed me, just like I thought she did you."

Tears were pricking at the corners of her eyes and Riza smiled warmly at her stunned boyfriend, "You see, even in our darkest moments, we still manage to find the right path again if we are guided by people whom we love," she squeezed his hand, "As long as you have me and Edward and Alphonse and everyone else, you will never stray too far from the right path. Not any of us,"

Roy smiled, squeezing her hand back tightly, feeling his heart swell at her words, "Riza-"

" _OHHH_ being lovey-dovey here, _HUH_?!" the braided blond haired demon grinned devilishly at them, rubbing his chin suggestively.

Roy's voice was low and threatening, "Fullmetal..." until it broke into a full blown roar, " _WE WERE NOT BEING LOVEY DOVEY!"_

The battle between the Tyrannosaurus Roy and Alligator Ed commenced, each party throwing insults back and forth and making childish expressions and gestures as both thought-to-be adult men argued and bickered.

Winry sighed heavily, plopping down onto the chair which had previously been occupied by Roy.

She rested her chin on top of her hand, watching the bickering duo with disinterest, "I'm sorry, I tried to stop him..."

Riza smiled, "I don't think you would have been successful even if you tried," she giggled.

Winry giggled back. Silence enveloped the two women until Winry suddenly said, "Granny made cookies,"

Riza smiled, "Are there enough for those two?"

Winry grinned, "Nope!"

Riza smiled brilliantly, "Then let's go,"

Both blondes stood up and entered the Rockbell home, leaving the men outside to resolve their disputes in the only way they knew how.

Children fights.

 **Hope everyone enjoyed it! :)**


	131. Being the good guy

**Summary:** Because being the good guy wasn't always easy, but he would be for her. He would spend all his fortune if it meant seeing her smile, he would give away anything and everything he had if it meant making her laugh at him the way she did, he would even give up his most precious treasure if it meant she was happy: her.

 **Pairings: Royai, EdWin, Grena (Greed X Lena), LingFan, Buccaneer & Olivier, Kimblee & OC.**

 **Genre:** _SAD_ , heartbreak, one sided love ahead!

 ** _NOTE:_** Originally, the ending to _**Kimblee's** _ part ways supposed to end that he would **lose her to the world** (expressing her need for travel and exploring the whole world). Maybe I will write it as a bonus scene and edit it later into the story!

 **Being the good guy**

 ** _Roy & Riza_**

He pretended he was looking over important files as his personal assistant strolled up to him and saluted, "Sir, I'll be heading out on my break, do you need anything before I go?"

Roy paused in signing a paper he didn't even know the contents from, to raise his dark eyes up to meet the professional stance of Riza Hawkeye.

Keeping his gaze and tone professional, his answer was simple, "That would be all Lieutenant," his eyes traveled over to Havoc who was standing behind her.

Havoc noticed his friend's stare and grinned at him, playfully saluting him.

Ignoring the playful gesture, Roy sent his two subordinates off on their break.

 _Together._

He wasn't sure when their relationship had started, but since he had begun noticing the signs, he was beginning to understand.

Havoc told him that Riza and him used to be classmates a while ago, but that didn't quite explain their increased free time together as well as the Lieutenant and him training together or training the trainees at shooting practice.

The biggest clue had been the time where Havoc had stopped seeing other women. When Roy had once wanted to give him a false number, claimed by him to come from a very attractive woman, Havoc had surprisingly enough declined. In reality, it had been a setup, Roy had wanted to find out if his suspicions had been true.

Unfortunately, they had been.

He had talked to Hughes about it. The married man had expressed his best wishes for the secret couple, but had thoughtfully suggested they head over for a drink or two at the bar, knowing of his best friend's secret affections for the Lieutenant.

Roy hadn't said much concerning his feelings or thoughts about the new relationship within his unit, he had only stated that his suspicions had been proven to be true after all. There was nothing he could do, nor did he want to. Did he really want to risk his friendship with the both of them simply for his own selfish desires? His dark thoughts had surprised him, how despite Havoc being a good friend, he had wanted to take Riza away from him, even if that wasn't possible.

And suddenly, as he stared blankly at the now empty glass in his hand, with the image of Havoc's hand on Riza's back as they left the office together, he remembered his own words he had uttered to Hughes during their time in the Ishval War.

 _Can you really hold the woman you love with your blood stained hands?_

Because he couldn't and never would.

* * *

 ** _Edward & Winry_**

He had helped her with picking an outfit to wear. Of course he had. He was her friend, that's what friends did for each-other.

It had already been the fourth date and it had been eating Ed alive from the inside.

Every time Winry left through the door with a ' _I'll be home by eleven granny, Ed!'_ a piece of Edward had went with her and every time he heard her enter the house quietly and tip toe her way to her room, he felt his heart break a little every time.

Of course, Alphonse had noticed, _of course_. Nothing could get passed his perceptive brother.

He would always ask, ' _Are you sure you're alright with this?'_ or tell him ' _You can always tell me brother. I'm sure if you tell Winry how you really feel she wouldn't go out anymore with him!'_

But that wasn't what Ed wanted.

He wasn't stupid. He heard the joy in her laughter whenever the bastard told a lame joke or made humorous comments about anything related to automail. He saw her bright smile whenever the punk brought her flowers at her doorstep, wearing a goofy smile on his face and always with a treat or two in his pocket for Den when he came to visit and flowers for granny or even a bottle of alcohol here and there.

He would always get something for him and Al too, but he wasn't interested in that.

He supposed the guy was good enough. Smart, kind, a real sweetheart and wasn't so bad on the eye. He knew a thing or two about automail and mechanics, something Ed did not and connected with Winry in a way Ed thought _he had_.

Johnny was his name. He was a guy that lived a few houses down, as far as Ed knew, he had a small farm and a budding automail shop, selling off spare parts and even automail limbs, thanks to Winry. They were business partners, friends, lovers...

He was a decent man, he was a hard worker, honest to a fault and as loyal as Den. And he cherished Winry and her skills and abilities above all else. There _really_ wasn't anything for Ed to dislike about him.

And yet, he did.

He disliked the idiot for knowing about automail where Ed was a hopeless case, he disliked him for managing to never fight or bicker with Winry, he disliked him for calming her down after Edward and her had one of their fights, he disliked him for even gaining Al's favor, he disliked him for so many more things but the most important of all was...

"I dislike him for stealing you away..." his whisper was only heard by the rushing wind and the green grass as the bells of the church reached his ears and a lone tear hit the ground where previously rose petals had been thrown in the path of the bride and groom.

* * *

 ** _Greed & Lena_**

He had to admit, he had never been a good guy. Hell, he could count on one hand how many good deeds he did in his life and still have fingers to spare.

But this time, he would do a good deed, one he was desperate not to regret.

He had had many women, in his past life at least. He had enjoyed the presence of women as they swarmed around him, like moths to a flame, and he reveled in the jealous looks he received from the cocky males.

He reveled in power, possession. That was his game.

And then, he had fought her.

She had saved him once from an angry mob and since then, he had tried to figure her out, figure out her motives for saving him, or for not blowing a hole through his head with that spear of hers.

He thought they had grown close in the years they came to know each-other. They had attended the Fullmetal brats wedding, attended the ceremony when the fraternization laws were finally annulled and Mustang and Hawkeye had a chance at love. They even helped plan out the Xingese brats and Al's wedding.

It resulted in disaster, since suddenly dancers in revealing clothes had come, both male and female, and the guests were horrified. Greed still didn't know who was to blame for that, he had a hunch it was Lena after all, but he had been a bit drunk during that time.

And then, she one day met up with him in town. Accompanied by another man.

At first, Greed hadn't thought much of it, but the more time she spent with the bloke, the harder it was to hold in the random outbursts of anger he wanted to unleash like poison over the guy that showered her with affection.

It was sickening to watch. But she seemed content. Happy.

And that was the thing that broke his heart.

He had always thought falling in love was a thing for humans, not Homunculi. But Ling had been right. Maybe Greed _had_ grown soft, maybe he _had_ started to develop feelings for the crazy, stubborn woman.

And when he stood in front of her doorstep one day, feeling like a total sissy, holding pathetic flowers in his hands and having to endure the stupid whispers of old hags around him muttering shit like ' _Oh, I saw this young lad here before! Looks like he's popping the question!'_ or _'Mhm, flowers. Back in my day, you weren't a real man if you didn't visit your girl with flowers in your hands I tell ya'_

Before he could knock, he heard laughter coming from inside and he sneaked close to the window to investigate.

It was Lena. With _him_.

He didn't care learning the bastard's name, he didn't use it or care about it. But the look on her face...how happy she was. He realized then and there, it was happier than a monster like him could ever make her feel.

Dropping the flowers under the window, Greed turned on his heel and left.

The Homunculus with a Philosopher's Stone felt like it had just shattered into a thousand pieces.

 _Added Scene:_

It had been in the afternoon when she opened the window to let in fresh air and she noticed a few flower petals near it. When she leaned down further, she saw a medium sized bouquet of flowers lying in a heap on the ground right beneath her window.

Going outside, Lena crouched down to pick the abandoned flowers, smiling at their scent and beauty before looking around for a clue as to who could have left them here.

She didn't see anyone who could come in question so she went back inside, placing them in a vase filled with water to not let them wither away.

She stared at them for a single moment and rubbed at her eyes, feeling moisture gathering in them. She thought she may know who left them, but she shook her head. It was too late now. She couldn't have waited forever. She just hoped...it hadn't been a mistake.

* * *

 ** _Ling & Lan Fan_**

She was to be married off to another prince, somewhere from Southern Xing as far as he knew. Usually, members of the royal guard chose not to marry due to the dangerous nature of their job, but it seemed like Lan Fan had agreed to it. For what reason, Ling didn't want to know.

But he could see she was happy. The man made her smile, a wealthy prince from the Mao family. Ling had heard of him, but when he actually met him in order to discuss of a possible wedding between his personal guard and the prince, Ling had to admit, he wasn't the bad guy he thought he would be.

He had a good home, came from a wealthy family, but he wasn't arrogant or spoiled. He seemed nice enough. But still, Ling sent his own spies to monitor him during the day and report to him in the evening, in the rare absences of Lan Fan.

Nothing was suspicious and he seemed honorable enough, but...he didn't know if he was _good enough_ for her. For Lan Fan.

He had given his blessings, had given his consent and much to Ling's secret heartbreak, Lan Fan did as well eventually.

He didn't know if it was due to his own incompetence and failure at expressing his feelings towards her more clearly and sooner or her own changed feelings.

However, the day when he had the honor of seeing her in white, of seeing the beauty that her under armor and mask...he knew he was a fool.

And when he let her hand go, so tightly clutched into his, to be given off to the man that wasn't him, standing next to her at the altar, he knew...

He was a fool.

* * *

 ** _Buccaneer & Olivier_**

For him, realizing his feelings but never acting on them was hell.

But working under the woman you loved and seeing her every day was even worse.

She was a unstoppable force in the wake of the enemy, unrelenting in her commands and merciless in defeating her foes.

He knew, for her, there was only the battlefield, her country and her men. No love fitted in that equation.

There were many cute girls, but none quite like her. She radiated a subtle beauty encased in ice, under her ice cold exterior dubbed as 'The Ice Queen', she displayed a side she rarely even showed to her family, but he had caught glimpses of it.

To her men, who fell in battle and have sacrificed their lives for her safety.

To her younger brother, where she would curse him and ask for his wellbeing in the same sentence.

To him, once, when he had nearly died of frostbite from not switching his automail to endure the cold climate better. One brief glimpse. But it had been there.

Concern.

Worry for someone like him, beneath her status, beneath her rank, beneath the beauty and strength she symbolized and displayed.

For him, she was like a mountain of ice.

An unmovable force and when attempted to climb upon it, you either only slide down it's cold smooth surface or die of the numbing chill trying to reach its peak.

She never let people close, that much he learned. So he stayed close to her in the only way she would allow.

As her fighting comrade.

But in his final moments in life, she remained a mystery to him.

He hadn't lost her to another man, no. He had lost her to her fierce beliefs and the war and her men.

However, taking in his dying breath, he was sure he never even had her in the first place.

For mighty creatures such as her deserved the bittersweet freedom they desired.

* * *

 ** _Kimblee & OC (unnamed)_**

Explosions were what made his blood sing.

Explosions were what made him delirious with joy and bloodthirsty with the screams of his opponents echoing in his ears like a lullaby.

But she...

She wasn't an alchemist like him, but her personality were like the explosions themselves. And to his surprise, she didn't mind his sadistic streak nor his love for his explosions.

To a certain degree she even shared his interests.

She was many things he wasn't.

Genuinely caring, where his kindness was played with a fake smile and a charming tilt to his smooth voice. Sweet, where his honey coated words served to follow an alternate agenda. Helpful, where his assistance came with a price. Fierce, where she matched his own viciousness with her own. Brave, where she didn't flinch when one of his explosions had accidentally come close to her. Seductive, where his usual interest of explosions had suddenly shifted to the inviting red of her swollen lips when he took her breath away with a fierce clash of his own lips against hers. Shyness, where her rare moments of shyness clashed with his bursting pride.

And...

Her laughter. Rich in quality, smooth in sound and angelic to his ears.

He often compared it to his explosions. The sound of her laughter and his explosions was nearly the same, making his blood boil, but in a different way, making him hungry, not for killing, but to hear more of her voice.

She complimented his psychotic persona and yet soothed the bloody beast that dwelled within an invisible cage, roaring to be freed.

It was with a heavy heart he watched her board the train.

It was with sadness in his eyes he watched her wave at him a final time.

It was with desperation, he rushed to the end of the train to grasp her hand in his when she extended it with tears in her eyes and a warm smile on her face.

It was with heartbreak, he watched the tears slide down her smooth cheeks as she held his gaze for as long as she could.

It was with love he let her go.

It was with unadulterated horror, he watched as the train she had just disappeared into blew up in one of the biggest explosions he had ever seen before.

And it was with a feeling of guilt that would haunt him for the rest of his life, that he unclasped his hands as they fell limply to their sides and watched the roaring fire burn.

 **Hope it was half decent this time! :) Reviews are always appreciated!**


	132. Save the last dance for me

**_A/N:_** Hello everyone! :) I got inspired to write this short piece after thinking what I imagined when I came up with the title "Save the last dance for me", so this came out. ^^ A few readers of mine pointed out the significant lack of **Royai** fics here, so I decided to remedy that :3 **Suggestions for future Royai fics are welcome! ;)**

 **Rating: T (for implied death at the end)**

 **Pairing: Royai (Roy & Riza)**

Hope you all enjoy it and that the read wasn't a waste! :)

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist (Brotherhood) or any of its characters!_**

* * *

 ** _Save the last dance for me_**

* * *

 _Dancing is the last word in life. In dancing one draws nearer to oneself. –Jean Dubuffet_

She looked beautiful.

For once, he felt breathless.

Not from pain or terror or fear or even from his own alchemy.

He felt breathless from the sheer beauty she radiated. She radiated a subtle shyness that indicated she wasn't used to being in the center of attention, but that was a lie.

She had been the center of his whole world since he started falling for her and none of it ever changed since they got married. He still feared for his life every now and then when she would stroll into his office and make sure he was doing his duties as the newly appointed Führer.

But that was a part of them being a team after all, she was his calm. The calm before the storm of his flames. But she was also the raging storm he sometimes wasn't, the cold, ruthless storm that threatened to overrun their enemies.

But he saw none of that when he gazed at her. None of the wars they've fought in, none of the pain they experienced all their lives, not the loss and suffering they were forced to experience, none of it.

When he looked at her, all he saw was peace. All he felt was complete.

He smiled when she gracefully walked over to him, a single tear sliding down the soft expanse of her cheek.

He wiped it away, letting his hand linger just a bit longer on the side of her face to offer her some comfort before he drew it away and extended his other hand in silent invitation.

For their dance.

Their last dance.

And suddenly, the hand of soft, unblemished young skin turned to a wrinkled one, deep lines made from age.

Roy looked up at her beautiful face, at her smiling face that lost none of its beauty with advanced age, the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth more pronounced.

He could feel his strength waning, threatening to topple them both over, but he pushed on, for this, this meeting of their hands and the joining of the music and their feet sliding across the floor, was their last.

He leaned in to whisper softly in her ear, hoping she could hear his low whisper, "Have I ever told you how beautiful you look?"

There was a faint, raspy giggle and her hand rested gently on his shoulder, "All the time, dear," he smiled, gently leading them through the dance they danced so many times, so many years ago.

Things were different now, their kids were grown, their friends enjoying a quiet, peaceful but fulfilling life without the war.

It was just them now.

Roy felt she missed a step, he moved to hold her shaking weight, "Are you alright?" concern washed over him like a great tidal wave and he felt his own bones shaking.

Riza offered a weak, wrinkly smile, "I'm fine, Roy," and once again, they resumed their dance.

They danced the last lines of the song in slow, even strides and for a moment, just before the song ended, they felt young again.

Their souls cried out with the fire in their hearts and they drew back to smile at each-other, seeing the ghost's of their younger selves smiling back at them.

They broke away to bask in the afterglow of the dance and the slowing of their heartbeats, the weakening of their muscles and Roy extended his hand to his wife again, but not for a dance.

His eyes glistened with tears, "May I have this last dance?" he smiled and Riza felt tears of her own prickling at the corners of her eyes.

With a shaky nod, she took his hand, fragile and yet so strong and secure in her own, "Yes," her answer was a weak whisper as she forced her weak legs to carry her forward.

They ignored the panicked shouts and looks from the doctors, they ignored the desperate cries for help from their friends, they ignored the slowing of their pulse and their fading consciences as their bodies painlessly hit the floor.

But they didn't ignore the feeling of completion as images of their past drifted through their last conscious thoughts as they smiled and laughed and enjoyed their last dance together.

Their last dance among the living.

But their first dance among the dead.

 **Thank you all for reading! :) Reviews are kindly appreciated!**


	133. And then there were none

**!SLOWER UPDATES:** Hi guys! Big changes occurring here with me! New country, new education, it's all pretty...surreal if I do say so myself, certainly not the first time I've switched schools (my CV can sing you a song about it) but still stressful ^^ I don't know how much free time I'll have between school and part time job so let's hope I still manage to update at least **_weekly_**! ;)

I hope I can still keep everyone interested with these 100 + chapters I've got going ^_^

 ** _Enjoy! :)_**

 ** _CHALLENGE:_** I'll challenge myself to write (for a few chapters) the most saddest, shortest one shot pieces I've ever written, so I hope they're as half decent as I pray they are! :)

* * *

 _ **And then there were none**_

* * *

In your mommy's tummy, you were three.

When your mommy gave birth, it were two.

When you grew up and didn't come back, there was one.

And then there was only me.

And with time, there were none.

 **Can anyone solve this riddle? Something I made up :3 HINT: The father wrote this (presumably Ed). The line "And then there was only me" (is him the father).Thank you for reading!**


	134. A Mother's Scars

**Rapidly posting one shots is the thing I do when my time of dying draws nearer (ahem... UNIVERSITY STARTS) so please...bear with me dear readers ^^**

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Rilaxkori:** Hey there! Welcome to my stories! :3 Ah, your review really brightened my mood, thank you so much for that :D Ah, the kingdom AU, if I'm not mistaken, it must be the next chapter right after this one, titled _"Endings aren't always Endings"._ Ahh, that's a great idea! I already read your review and wrote down a few paragraphs for your request, but it's not done yet! :) I promise I'll try to publish it as soon as I can! Thanks for sharing your idea! :) Don't hesitate to request anything, I have plenty of imagination left to spare! ;)

 **ANSWER to the riddle (in the previous chapter):**

 _In your mommy's tummy you were three_

 **The mother is Winry and she's pregnant with three children.**

 _When your mommy gave birth, it were two._

 **Winry and two of her children died after childbirth.**

 _When you grew up and didn't come back, there was one._

 **The son that survived was forced to go to war but he never returned.**

 _And then there was only me._

 **Ed was the only one left.**

 _And with time, there were none._

 **Ed died.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **A Mother's Scars**

Gently placing the sleeping infant back in the white crib, Ed gently caressed his daughter's hair, the shade of her mother's, on her soft head.

Leaning down to place a sweet kiss on her forehead, Ed straightened and heaved a sigh of relief, grateful that she stopped screaming in favor of going to sleep.

Sarah wasn't a screamer, but like any baby, she would have sudden loud crying episodes that lasted for hours and Ed was glad he got used to loud explosions from Kimblee and his admittedly loud battles in his youth, otherwise he was sure his eardrums would have fallen off by now.

"Tired?" he turned his head at the sound of his wife's soft voice and grinned, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Nah, just a little sore," he stretched his back and rolled his shoulders, feeling the stiff muscles loosening slightly from carrying Sarah half of the day and doing chores around the house.

Walking over to his wife on the bed, Ed allowed himself to fall on it in a heap of exhausted flesh, humming appreciatively at the soft, familiar caress of his wife's fingers running through his hair.

Winry smiled, "Thank you for taking care of Sarah today, Ed, I know it must have been difficult..." Ed lifted his face a little from the sheets, turning it to the side so his eyes easily spotted his wife from his position on the bed.

"Don't worry about it, I'm a parent too aren't I? Of course, I'll take care of my daughter," he grinned, already feeling better when Winry massaged his scalp.

He gently took a hold of her hand, rolling onto his back to stare at it thoughtfully, interlacing their fingers together and watching her own squeeze his hand, before he squeezed back. A smile stretched over his lips and he pulled their intertwined hands down so he could kiss each of Winry's wiggling fingers with a big grin.

Winry's giggle only lifted his spirits more and Ed already felt better, his previous exhaustion a thing of the past now, "How are you feeling, Win?" his eyes shot up to get a glimpse of his wife, from his position upside down.

She was laying in bed with a book beside her and warm tea on the night desk.

Winry had complaints of stomach pains and slight dizziness so Pinako and Ed had strictly forbidden her from doing anything with automail or house chores. Pinako had filled in for accepting customers for the shop and Ed had worked between doing chores, cooking dinner and taking care of Hohen and Sarah, though Ren had come to pick his son up to play outside.

Edward smirked, Hohen had been so tired when he had come home only two hours before, saying how Ren started to learn flame alchemy and had accidentally burned one of his fingers while doing so, prompting Ed to comment how flame idiots will always be flame idiots, just passed down by generation.

That comment was followed up by a smart retort by Winry, where, instead of reprimanding her husband for talking so poorly of Roy again, she followed up with one of her own quirky comments, ' _Ed, don't be ridiculous. The flame idiot genes have been passed down the Mustang family line for generations!'_

That had certainly filled the house with laughter, but Ed's mirth had quickly been forgotten when Winry had held her stomach in pain from laughing.

The doctor and Pinako said Winry would experience this pain every now and then, until the scar fully healed, a repercussion from having a caesarean delivery. Sarah's birth had come with a few complications, so the doctors had opted for a caesarean delivery instead through the birth canal, as it would heighten both Winry's and Sarah's safety after birth.

Ed sat upright, turning around and laying down next to Winry's stomach, eyes softening when he gently removed the warm towel placed on the part where the scar was.

Winry smiled, "Don't worry Ed, it doesn't hurt anymore," she shook her head again when her husband looked at her for confirmation, before fully removing the damp towel and looking at the pink, slightly scarred tissue.

Noticing the troubled look on her husband's face, Winry giggled, "Ed, I'm alright, stop glaring at my stomach,"

Ed pouted, feeling slightly embarrassed, before seriousness underlined his voice, "Sorry...it's just..." he sighed, looking up at her, "I was worried when the doctor said they would have to do that...I...got scared when there were complications." He admitted softly, fingers lovingly caressing the side of Winry's deflated stomach, "I've been in worse situations and you've been too, but I've never felt as defenseless in any of them as I did then in the hospital Win," he closed his eyes, "Because...I held your life in my hands when you had been in there..."

After a moment, he felt sudden but familiar pain violently wrack his skull and his eyes shot open, seeing his wife holding the culprit for all his pain.

It was the wrench.

"Winry!" Ed growled, rubbing his head, "Stop doing that! We're married for alchemy's sake!"

Winry glared viciously at her husband, before placing the wrench back on the night desk beside her, "Ugh, the fact that we're married didn't change the fact that you can be such an idiot sometimes Ed!" Ed's expression gave way to surprise, listening to his wife fume at him, "I know that you were scared and I was too! But I refused to just give up and let both of us possibly die! Because when...when Hohen was born it was as if all our troubles and bad memories were worth it, Ed. I felt like everything we endured until now and all the death and sadness that surrounded us suddenly seemed like they all happened for a reason. Just for these two suns to have a chance at a life you and I couldn't have had Ed!"

Winry sighed, rubbing her forehead, "Sarah and I are fine, aren't we? That's all that matters now Ed." She smiled at the end, a tired but warm smile.

It was a smile that reminded Ed that he made her feel the same way she made him feel, it reminded him that he had a chance at happiness too, despite everything that happened, it was a smile that made him forget all the nightmares and guilt trips.

It was a smile from _her_. From Winry. Alive and well.

Ed closed his eyes again and chuckled, shaking his head as he straightened up.

"You're amazing Winry," Winry blanched when Ed suddenly towered over her on the bed, her face quickly heating up when he smiled at her and lovingly kissed her forehead and nose.

Ed grinned at her and lowered his head, leaning down to gently kiss the scarred tissue on his wife's stomach before falling onto his left side, letting the bed bounce twice before he wrapped his arms protectively around his stunned wife, who squeaked at the action.

"E-Ed," Winry didn't quite have the resolve to push him away or question his actions, but she did try to hide the blush that seemed to stick to her face like glue.

Ed grinned softly, kissing the top of her head affectionately and gently rubbing her stomach.

Winry sighed, snuggling into the warm arms of her husband and whispering into his shirt as her daughter slept soundly in her crib, "It's you that's amazing..." she grinned, "Alchemy freak,"

Ed grinned.

 **Too cheesy? I hope not :3 Thanks for reading and leave a review if you like! :)**


	135. Anniversary

**Anniversary**

She stopped, pulling back her dark hair behind her ear as she smiled at the woman behind the reception desk.

"Hello! Do you have a reservation?" the woman's eyes shone with kindness.

"Yes," her voice was calm but her hands shook, "It's my anniversary today," she smiled brightly, "The fiftieth,"

The younger woman smiled, "Oh, that's great! Table for two then?"

But the woman shook her head, "Table for one please,"

"Under the name Elric. Mei Elric,"

 **See you in the next chapter!**


	136. Like a Moth to Flame

**A/N: Another short-ish piece of my self-issued challenge! :) Hope you will enjoy it!**

 **Royai anyone? ;)**

 **Like a Moth to Flame**

 _"_ _Thus hath the candle singd the moath," -'The Merchant of Venice', 1596, William Shakespeare_

 _Irresistibly and dangerously attracted to something or someone._

She was drawn to him like a moth was to a flame.

She knew if she would get close she would get burned.

And she did.

But his burn was soothing, not scalding.

His burn protected her, not destroyed her.

She supposed she was just like a moth and he the flame.

They both knew they couldn't be together, yet they couldn't deny their attraction.

They knew if anyone found out, if they got too close, it would destroy them.

And yet, they persevered.

Not because they didn't know that, what they had, was _dangerous_. A bond that could possibly mark the end.

But because they couldn't help but be drawn to each-other.

Just like a moth to a flame.

 _I'd follow you to hell if you ask me to._

 **See you guys in the next chapter! :)**


	137. Mission Control

**A/N: Another one shot for my shortest, saddest pieces challenge! This time, it's about Roy!**

 **Mission Control**

 _Mission Control to Mustang. Mustang, do you copy?_

 _Mission Control to Mustang, do you copy soldier?_

 _Roy Mustang to Mission Control._

 _"_ _Goodbye Mission Control. Thanks for trying."_

 _Mission Control to Mustang._

 _Mission Control to Mustang._

 _Do you copy Mustang?_

 _Mission Control._

 _We lost contact._

 **Thank you for reading! :)**


	138. Führer

**A/N: Another short, tragic one shot!**

 **Pairing: King Bradley & Mrs. Bradley**

* * *

 _ **Führer**_

* * *

"Better to reign in Hell," he grinned.

"...than serve in Heaven," the Ouroboros eye shone ominously as he watched the flames of hell wash over the country, destroying people and buildings alike.

With his bloodied hands, he tore at the eyeball until it gave way, veins and nerves fraying and breaking apart as the blood gushed out of the now hollow eye socket.

Clenching the eye in his hand, he threw it into the endless sea of red, watching it burn and fade along with the screams of his subjects.

Grinning madly, he stared at the dark sky with his remaining eye, "Isn't that right, Father?" his smirk was one of amusement and despair, blood slowly seeping from within his clenched fist.

The imprint within the palm of his bloodied hand was circular and the sharp stone carved deeper into his already torn flesh.

It was the ring of his dead wife.

 **Thank you all for reading and please R &R! :)**


	139. Greed's Rap Song

**Inspiration for this made up rap song:** _Roy Mustang's rap song ^^_

 **Enjoy reading! :)**

* * *

 **Greed's Rap Song**

 _I did it for the money,_

 _Didn't tryna to be funny,_

 _Hope you let me in_

 _Your little home honey._

 _All my desires, desires_

 _are like a sin, sin._

 _Watching your eyes go red, red_

 _Makes my mind think bed, bed_

 _Pulling you in and pushing you out,_

 _Baby I'm like a sin._

 _Women, money,_

 _Sex and fame_

 _Possessions and things_

 _That's my game._

 _Baby I'm like a sin, sin._

 **Suggestions for future rap songs (for FMA:B characters)? :)**


	140. Her Touch

**A/N: Hi everyone! :) I hope you all enjoy reading my random one shots so far! :D Suggestions for future chapters are always welcome! ;)  
Royai incoming!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Her Touch**

Physical contact had only been allowed in life and death situations and strictly for work related purposes.

He may had a false reputation as a womanizer, but he respected her too much to touch her in any way she explicitly didn't wish him to.

She was too bound by duty to even entertain such notions, much less act upon them.

It had been a unspoken agreement between, ever since the last consoling hug Roy had offered when Berthold Hawkeye, her father, died he had been reluctant to initiate any other form of contact.

But he never knew how much her touch would mean to him in this battle.

The wicked doctor had tricked him, forced him to perform human transmutation and he had _almost_ willingly done it, anything to save the life of his precious lieutenant, anything for _her_.

But the signal she sent him was clear; _'if you even think about doing it I'll shoot you where you stand'._ After all, they didn't need words to understand each-other, after so many years of being together.

He had almost lost her yes, but there was a time where _he_ had lost _himself_.

Once was when he had almost succumbed to darkness and destroyed Envy for killing Hughes.

But the last time was, when he lost his eyesight.

His vision had been dark, devoid of any light or the ability to perceive any objects or people around him.

He had truly felt pathetic, like a defenseless infant, crawling on the ground and trying to gather his senses, lost without his eyesight and more importantly, exposed to the enemy.

But a firm hand on his shoulder made him freeze and her voice sounded like a ray of hope in his vision filled with black, " _Colonel! What happened? Are you alright?! What did they take from you?! Colonel!"_

Her voice was filled with worry, a tone he wasn't particularly used to hearing, except when he was in near death situations. But this wasn't one. He was physically well, save for the loss of his eyesight.

And when he turned his head in the direction of her voice, he saw nothing, but he heard her and felt her touch on his shoulder, " _Colonel! Y-you...your eyes-"_

He sensed her hands coming closer to his face and he clenched his teeth to suppress the urge to allow her touch. They were in the middle of a battlefield, the enemy was still out there, somewhere above them, they didn't have _time_ for this!

"Lieutenant," his eyes narrowed, he tried hard to concentrate, to adapt to his situation and this was the only way he knew how, "Can you still fight?"

He couldn't see her, he didn't know the extent of her injures or if her condition worsened, but he was sure she wouldn't lie to him about her health now, not when it was so critical to know.

Her answer came a few seconds later, "Yes," he took her word for it, for there was no hesitancy in her voice nor any hesitancy in her movements when she moved to his side to support him, one hand resting on his shoulder, the other in the middle of his back, a reassuring weight gently pressed at his spine to remind him she was there and he wasn't completely defenseless.

Not with her.

"Good. I need you to be my eyes Lieutenant, can you do that for me?" it was the first time either of them did this, but what they weren't unfamiliar to was this: teamwork.

He couldn't see her, but felt her move her head when her hair ticked his chin, "Understood, sir," he smiled, relief washing over him as he expelled a heavy sigh.

The reassuring squeeze she gave him in response startled him slightly, unprepared at the admittedly intimate gesture.

He may have been unable to see her, but he could feel the strength in her body and the warmth she shared with him, a reassuring kind of feeling that chased away any doubts he may have had left in his mind, "Follow me, sir,"

With that, she carefully guided him onto the stone platform created by Alphonse, who sent them a worried look, aimed at Mustang's blindness and Riza's bloodied shoulder.

The woman sent the youth a reassuring smile, "Let's go Alphonse," she nodded again at the look of concern on the younger Elric's armored face.

After a few moments, Roy felt the earth beneath his feet moving at a alarming speed, he felt he was about to lose balance, but the firm hand at his back steadied him and the hand on his shoulder righted his stance and the voice close to his ear calmed him, "It's alright, sir."

Roy smiled, clenching his gloved hand and nodded wordlessly, knowing she would see him.

Once they reached the surface, the sounds of gunfire and alchemy grew louder and clearer and Roy could smell the smoke coming from freshly fied projectiles and cannons in the air, as well as burnt flesh.

The smell sickened him, yet caused haunting memories of Ishval to resurface in his mind but the squeeze on his shoulder brought him back to the present.

"The enemy is at 44 degrees, sir," Riza informed him, her hawk's gaze trained on what he knew to be the enemy at all times.

Smirking, Roy adjusted his gloves, "Thank you, Lieutenant," with that, he snapped his fingers, feeling electricity buzzing and the sound of rushing fire as it zipped through the air and he felt more than heard his attack hit the enemy at point blank range, the wind rushing about them and disturbing his hair.

He felt Riza's hand on his shoulder tighten briefly, "An attack straight ahead!" heeding her warning, he quickly slapped his hands together and slammed them down to the ground, feeling the earth tremble beneath his hands as a wall of solid rock erected in front of him, effectively protecting them from the sudden, powerful heat coming from the enemy.

But her hand was always there.

Always holding onto his shoulder, squeezing him when the attack was over and helping him move, dispelling the rock wall and immediately counterattacking at Riza's shout, "32 degrees, sir!"

And that was how it went for some time, no matter if they stumbled and fell, she was always there, within reach, by his side and her hand never relinquished its hold on his shoulder.

Her touch had never meant more to him than it did now.

Now, when he most needed reassurance, she was the light that sliced through the darkness in his vision and gave him strength.

And when she informed him of what Edward would do to deliver the finishing blow, he would have been _damned_ if he didn't voice a shout of encouragement to the kid, " _Fullmetal!"_ he knew Edward understood, with that shout alone it should be clear what Mustang's message was.

 _Don't you dare give up._

 _Put your all in this one final attack!_

 _We all believe in you, Fullmetal._

And Riza's accompanied vocal agreement following his only further made him realize that, despite him losing his eyesight and indeed, never being able to see the country he had worked so hard for develop and grow, there were more things to do than weep about what was lost and instead, rejoice about what was _saved_ and _kept_.

And when he heard everyone break out into cheers around him, he felt Riza's hand slip away from his shoulder.

Immediately, the darkness was back and he immediately sought her hand out but a soft touch on his chest made him stop, "I'm here, Colonel,"

Overwhelmed with emotion and the sense of victory filling him at finally defeating the enemy and saving the world, he did the only thing he swore he would strictly forbid himself to.

He hugged his lieutenant.

And he would be damned if that hadn't been the best and most liberating feeling he ever allowed himself to feel.

Either way she was too surprised to push him away or overcome with emotions herself, because she returned his hug and released a short but meaningful laugh and he relished the feeling of holding her close, safe and well in his arms.

He may not be able to see her.

He may never see her again.

But he had the image of her imprinted in his mind, he didn't _need_ to see her to know what expressions she made when she was sad or angry or exasperated with him.

All he needed was the reassurance of her touch.

Because, as soon as her hand was on his shoulder, or back or chest, a sense of contentment and relief flooded him, a feeling he came to associate with the power of her touch and the knowledge that she would never let him feel as defenseless as he did when he lost his eyesight.

What made him happier however, was when he opened his eyes and he was able to see light again, the hospital bed he was sitting on, the bed beside his and the woman laying in it.

And when she grabbed his hand, out of sheer relief to discover he had his eyesight back, he was relieved that that particular thing hadn't changed.

Her touch was still there, even with his eyesight restored.

He realized, he didn't need his eyesight.

All he really needed was her touch to feel safe and well again.

 **What couple/character do you want me to write about in the next chapter? :)**


	141. Partners in Crime

**Partners in Crime**

When he first stood among the many men meant to be stationed at the infamous Fort Briggs, Amestris' strongest line of defense, he knew great things were to be expected of him.

But he never expected to be serving under the direct command of the Ice Queen herself.

Olivier Armstrong.

Feared in battle by her enemies, held in high regard by her allies and her men and warned about by many officials claiming to have encountered her once or twice.

Caution was advised when facing one of the Armstrongs, but the Ice Queen proved to be a formidable person even outside of her family name.

Ruthless in battle as she was outside of it, the woman was every bit of the soldier like the hardened veterans that came limping out of the war with a missing limb and a grim expression foretelling of the gruesome scenes they have been forced to witness in their serving time.

Her status as a woman meant little to anybody that knew her, if addressed to her personally, it was rumored her icy gaze could freeze your very heart if one wasn't careful.

Miles knew, the fact she was a woman did not speak of her prowess in battle or her name, so he waited to see how the months at Fort Briggs would play out.

The arctic climate at North was merciless and cruel, Miles had been accustomed to the warm sandy terrain his people were known for, unlike this harsh, unforgiving land of ice.

In his time there, he experienced sides to General Armstrong he never heard of before.

While indeed very merciless toward her men, she never let any of them suffer for naught.

Yes, they worked tirelessly during the bitter winter and the chilling wind, but only if absolutely necessary and General Armstrong was always present to oversee their progress and lend a helping hand as well.

But she never let them die of frostbite or hyperthermia, always issuing her soldiers to enter the Fort and warm up before starting another task, leaving the kitchen to allow them to rest and eat to their hearts content.

A kind gesture, others may say. A strategic move, her enemies would say.

But Miles knew, General Armstrong had much more than the icy exterior she liked to showcase.

He met Captain Buccaneer relatively fast but disliked the man for his boisterous attitude. He had heard of him to be somewhat of a cavalier, but the man never disrespected General Armstrong.

Miles was sure he wouldn't live to tell the tale if he did anyway.

Buccaneer had an automail hand when he first came to Fort Briggs, unfortunately not adequately fitted to survive the harsh cold and Buccaneer nearly suffered from frostbite, until that is, General Armstrong intervened just in time and ordered him to be made new cold climate automail to withstand the weather conditions better.

Or in her words, ' _As if I would let one of my men die from something as pathetic as frostbite,'_

Being General Armstrong's right hand certainly had its ups, but Miles never took advantage of them.

He would never betray her trust like that and maybe, that was the secret to how their relationship worked.

The mutual trust.

The assurance that if worst came to worst, she would have his back and he would have hers.

For she didn't see the survivor of Ishval whose country has been exterminated and burnt down to ashes, she only saw the hard working and intelligent soldier and comrade.

She didn't care about his past and maybe that was also why her men followed her so.

She didn't care who came into her fortress, as long as they had the mettle to stay.

Maybe the Ice Queen wasn't as cold as she appeared to be.

And maybe the survivor from Ishval wasn't as indifferent as he liked to seem.

Maybe...the camaraderie between them was real and not just a figment of his imagination.

 **Thank you all for reading! :)**


	142. Beware of pregnant women

**A/N: Hello everyone!** I'm glad to still be able to post one shots here more or less regularly, since I only have my internship to worry about atm as opposed to the usual homework stress. Well, I hope my one shots are still something worth reading for and wherever my dear readers are, that they have a really nice day! :)

* * *

 **Beware of pregnant women**

"I don't think this is a good idea," Edward voiced his protest, holding the alchemy book protectively in front of his chest.

Winry rolled her eyes, "And why the _hell_ not?" it wasn't often that Winry swore, in fact, she often reprimanded Edward, in the rare instances his tongue slipped, whenever he did it.

It had actually been a peaceful morning. Edward had been the same helpful, kind, supporting husband Winry appreciated, especially in her dire time of need while she was pregnant, and her hormones were raging out of control.

Speaking of hormones…

Winry seethed, curling her hands into shaking fists and giving her husband that stare of death that she seemed to have perfected ever since the swollen bump on her tummy became more pronounced.

"Because you're pregnant!" he was defensive, _of course_ he was defensive, his wife's health was on the line!

"Edward, we hadn't had any time to ourselves since we learned I was pregnant and that was over five months ago!" the blond male swallowed audibly, sweating slightly when he saw a wrench was innocently resting on a small table within Winry's reach.

That little handy tool could quickly turn into a weapon of mass destruction should Edward not play his cards right.

"The doctor said to t-take it easy, Win," he lifted his hands placatingly in the air, hoping to soothe his wife's irritable mood.

It didn't work.

"Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm celibate!" she growled, resolutely marching over to the couch on which Edward was sitting on and currently praying for his survival, "I feel like a _cow_ , Edward! Ever since gaining weight and becoming pregnant we've stopped sleeping with each-other!"

Edward flushed, his mind racing a mile a minute, "B-b-but you're-"

"I _know_ I'm pregnant you _idiot_ but I'm still a woman with needs!" she fumed, looking like the harbinger of death herself with the way she was glaring at him.

Edward swallowed.

Winry promptly ripped the book from her husband's iron grip and sat herself on his lap, the terrified man letting out a yelp at the weight that settled on top of his shaking knees.

Her voice was a whine, "You've been ignoring me all the time, Ed," one of his worst fears had just come to life.

She was crying.

Because of _him_.

And all the things that stupid doctor had been scaring him about.

And nearly shitting his pants at the mere thought of intercourse with his wife and possibly in some way hurting their child.

He felt like an ass.

Gently, he hugged her, pulling her closer and soothingly rubbing her back and head, "Shh…I'm sorry Winry, I was just afraid to do anything until the baby was born because of all the things that doctor said," he sighed, continuing to rub his wife's back, "I'm sorry I ignored you, I know you're frustrated with everything that's going on and-"

He froze.

What the-

" _W-Winry?!"_ he drew back, body and mind frozen in shock when his wife sported a very evil smile and her grip around a very… _delicate_ part of him tightened.

"Is it because I'm fat?" his mind shut down, unable to really form any coherent thoughts except for the firm grip around his-

" _W-What?!"_

"Is that the reason why you don't want to sleep with me?" there were those teary eyes again.

"No, W-Winry I-" he froze, her grip tightening as if in warning.

Ed's brain turned to auto-pilot, "Hydrogen, Lithium, Beryllium, Sodium, Magnesium, Potassium-„

 _"_ Stop reciting the period table!"

"S-Stop _molesting_ me!"

* * *

" _Ling,_ " said man practically bounced over to his wife.

"Yes, Lan-"

"Do we have noodles with ice cream?" watching in partly stunned, partly disgusted silence at his pregnant wife, Ling did a double take.

"…Noodles with _what_?" he didn't hear right…did he?

Ever since finding out they were pregnant, the royal couple couldn't have been more overjoyed and great celebration befell the kingdom of Xing, their friends visited them and celebrated too.

But now with the majority of the celebrations and feasts gone, Lan Fan's food cravings have turned…. _interesting_.

Fish with rice porridge and tomato sauce.

Chocolate with sour pickles and bitter oranges.

And that hadn't been the worst either.

Lan Fan rolled her eyes, seemingly annoyed.

Ah, yes…did he mention the uncharacteristic _mood swings_ that had assaulted his normally collected, well-mannered, kind Lan Fan?

" _Noodles with ice cream!_ " Ling drew back, legs shaking from the volume of her voice before another calamity ensued, "…Do we have more dumplings?"

Her near to _obsessive_ cravings for dumplings!

Ling began to sweat, "I'm not sure if we still have any in stock since last time you ate more than your usual portions-"

He quickly shut his mouth.

 _Damn._

 _That_ had been the wrong thing to say.

Lan Fan seemingly remained calm, until all hell broke loose, "…Are you calling me fat, _husband_?"

Ling's eyes widened, "No, no, my dear, of course I don't-!"

Lan Fan's booming voice resonated across the spacious hall, "Guards!"

Immediately, two guards manifested stealthily at her side, guards Ling personally handpicked and stationed around and inside the palace to guard Lan Fan at all times.

Ling knew what would come next, "My husband seems unaware if we have dumplings, do you mind showing him the way?"

Knowing any kind of resistance was futile, Ling allowed himself to be dragged off by the two guards.

Once safely out of earshot of his wife, one of the guards dressed in black garb whispered ever so quietly to his Lord, "Apologies, my Lord,"

Ling huffed a stray strand of dark hair out of his eyes, "It's alright," he sighed heavily, "It'll only get worse,"

The other guard shivered visibly, "My Lord…do we _have_ dumplings?"

Ling froze, still being dragged by the two men, "Send an urgent letter to Amestris immediately,"

* * *

Staring perplexingly at the letter in his hands, stamped as very important, Roy rubbed at his head.

 _"_ _Dumplings?"_ he shook his head, trying to figure out of it was written in some form of code he didn't understand, "What could Ling possibly mean with 'dumplings'? He didn't tell me he had a new code!" he frowned, reaching for his phone to personally phone the Emperor of Xing before the door to his office slammed open.

He froze but quickly hid his nervousness behind a well-practiced mask of smoothness and charm, "Why hello my beautiful-"

"Where is the paperwork, Roy?" cool, hard eyes trained on him along with thunderous, hard steps which quickly and precisely rushed to his desk, the swollen stomach not at all preventing the deadly woman from appearing every bit the fierce and dangerous soldier she was before getting on maternity leave.

Roy's eyes widened when he noticed she had a gun drawn and the safety wasn't on, "A-Ah, R-Riza, so nice of you to visit me! Shouldn't you stay at home and rest? You know, the doctor said-"

Her hand slammed loudly on his large, mahogany desk, causing the poor man to flinch, the five stars on his uniform glistening in the light as he moved, "Where. Is. The. Paperwork?" her tone meant no funny business and he swallowed audibly.

"P-Paperwork? What paperwork?" he felt a feeling of dread fill him when Riza's gaze turned cutting.

"Havoc informed me of important files which had not been signed yet," her grip tightened on her gun and Roy discreetly tried touching the underside of his desk for reinforcements.

"H-Havoc? He must be uninformed! I've signed all and any documents which needed to be signed!" he laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair, "Have I told you how beautiful you looked today? You're absolutely glowing, dear,"

Riza wasn't amused.

Roy shivered.

"…I'll see you at home," Riza pocketed her gun, clicking the safety on and with all the grace a six-month pregnant woman could muster, walked toward the door.

Roy's stiff posture visibly sagged, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Riza stopped, Roy's heart stopped.

"Roy…" her tone sounded cold, detached, _threatening_.

Trying to distract his increasingly dark thoughts of his own death through the hands of his wife with the thoughts of said wife in a mini skirt, Roy clasped his hands together on his desk calmly, "Yes?"

"Is that your paperwork on this desk?" he followed her line of sight and turned pale.

He heard a metallic click.

 _Shit._

* * *

Mei yawned loudly, stretching her arms and legs and stopping abruptly when she felt a small but audible kick, "Ohh…looks like you're getting impatient, hm?" she sighed, rubbing her swollen belly.

Then the door opened and a blur of gold and white rushed to her side, "Mei! Are you alright?! I heard you sigh!" Alphonse's eyes were comically wide with concern, gripping her smaller hands in his own and staring into her eyes, then at her stomach.

Mei smiled, blushing, "I'm fine, Alphonse, the baby just kicked a little," she rubbed her tummy again, "Seems like he can't wait to see the world," she smiled tenderly.

Alphonse was on overdrive, "Are you sure? Do you want to go see a doctor? I can call Marco for you! Are you in pain? Are you hungry? I can cook you something if you want, we have everything you ordered on the list! I can call Ling again and see if he still has anymore dumplings in stock if you want though," her husband was rambling, and Mei could practically see smoke coming out of his ears from all his excessive thinking and worrying.

She grasped his face with her hands and he stopped talking, staring at her in confusion, "I'm alright, Alphonse, really," a burst of excitement and sheer love for her husband suddenly filled her and she flung herself on her stunned husband, knowing he would catch her, "Oh I love you so much Alphonse!"

"Woah, M-Mei! Watch out, the baby!" Alphonse quickly steadied his pregnant wife, quickly standing up and falling on the soft bed, breathing a sigh of relief when his giddy wife was giggling on top of him.

He sighed, rubbing her back soothingly and enjoying the extra weight on top of him.

* * *

Kimblee's eyes widened, he adjusted the collar of his suit, trying to keep his composure, "Well, I suppose we could try to-"

His wife vehemently protested whatever suggestion he was about to bring up, instead waving her bare feet in his general direction and staring at him as if she were about to murder him, "Solf J. Kimblee, I'm pregnant with _your_ child so the _least_ I can expect from my _husband_ is to massage my swollen, aching feet!" her tone was crisp and ferocious, and his ears rang from the volume.

With a sigh, he took off his hat and shed his white overcoat and vest, bunching up the sleeves of his white dress shirt and pushing the chair closer to his sitting wife, before he placed one of her feet on top of his knee and began to massage her foot with careful but firm, calculating strokes, alternating between firm circles and softer upward pushes with his thumbs.

She melted against the sofa and the thousands of cushions he had purchased for her comfort, all supporting her back and the noticeable bump that was her stomach.

Suddenly, her hand flew to her stomach and Kimblee's head shot up from his work on her feet, alert and high strung, before his wife waved her hand calmly and sighed, leaning back against the couch, "It's alright, the baby just kicked…rather violently," she gave a pointed look at her stomach, before soothingly stroking it.

Kimblee smirked, continuing with his task, "No wonder, the child is bound to inherit your aggressiveness, after all a mother's genes tend to be more dominant than the father's or so I've heard," he smirked when his wife crossed her arms and pouted.

"Actually, that depends, dear. Sometimes the mother's gene is dominant, other times not. It all depends on how the baby will develop and of course how strong our own genes will be passed on to it," she smiled at her husband softly and Kimblee felt something within his chest he previously only ever associated with his explosions.

A rush of excitement.

Adoration.

Maybe even love.

He smirked, working on her other foot now, kissing her wiggling toe affectionately, smelling of her shampoo from her earlier bath, she recoiled rather quickly, and he released a breathy chuckle.

"S-Solf! My feet are dirty!" her face was one of horror, but he soothed her fears by gently caressing her leg.

"We took a bath together not even an hour ago." He patted her wiggling foot and suddenly he stood, and his wife looked at him in confusion when he kneeled by her side.

"My previous philosophies seemed flawed," she listened to him attentively, knowing it must be important since it concerned something about his alchemy, "I only thought alchemy's greatest creation could be the magnificent explosions I was privileged to create. But it seems I was wrong," he caressed his wife's swollen tummy gently and a feeling of contentment filled her at the realization that he was referring to their unborn child.

After a long comfortable silence, his ever-teasing wife decided to speak, "... You've been spending time with Edward, haven't you?"

Kimblee frowned when his wife laughed.

 **Well, well, well, pregnancies can be tricky! ^^ Every review is appreciated so don't hesitate to spur on my motivation! :)**


	143. Ruling the World

_**A/N:**_ Merry (belated) Christmas everyone and a happy new year! :) I've been gone for a quite a while and I apologize for that, I've had it pretty rough the past few months (switching countries and schools again) so I'm still trying to adjust to everything. A friend of mine suggested another fandom (Miraculous Ladybug lol) and I had to write for it to vent . But I hope I find my inspiration again for FMA! :) This story certainly isn't abandoned (as some readers inquired me through PM) and I don't think I'll end it quite yet ;)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **DoubleDuece:** Oh thank you so much! :) I'm really glad you like my crossover ones (even if I wrote them incredibly crappy ^^), I've heard of most of them but in particular with Exorcist, do you mean Blue Exorcist or just Exorcist? I think I haven't heard of Exorcist yet :) And thanks for the prompt, I'll be sure to write it up as soon as I have time! I'll need some time to go over the mentioned animes/mangas but I'll try and write a few crossovers if you want! :D

 **Once again merry belated Christmas and happy new year and a big thank you to all those that waited patiently :) I'll try to update more frequently.**

* * *

 **Ruling the World**

"I was thinking..." Lena turned her head slightly, tilting it upward, only managing to catch a glimpse of Greed's jaw from her position.

"About what?" the tranquil silence that took over them was accompanied by Greed's protective embrace and the thick wool blanket covering them off, both fresh parents looking at their sleeping children.

"You aren't my badass princess anymore..." Lena's lips drew into a frown, body tensing when she sensed Greed's low tone suddenly.

Greed smiled, kissing the top of her head affectionately, "You're my badass queen," Lena instantly relaxed again, melting against the solid body of her husband as she read between the lines.

"Mhm...and you're my badass king," she mumbled into his arm, content to fall asleep, curled up like she was.

"What are you talking about?" the sudden question caught her off guard.

"...What?" Lena groggily lifted her head, confused by Greed's sudden question.

She nearly fell to the floor if it weren't for Greed's arms catching her and gently depositing her on the sofa where he previously sat on, only to look at her aghast, "I can't be king,"

Lena blinked.

 _What?_

"Huh?" she blinked rapidly, trying to decipher her husband's cryptic words.

Greed shook his head, crossing his arms stubbornly, "Oh no, I can't be king if I don't rule over the world! Lena! What the hell do I do?! You can't be queen without a king!"

Right eye twitching sporadically, Lena rested her head against the armrest of the sofa, groaning sleepily, "Oh for the love of-" she lifted her head, giving her significant other the 'evil eye', "Greed! Stop messing around and come here! I'm freaking cold!"

That wasn't quite true, since the blanket was warming her, but she wasn't about to tell Greed that.

But Greed shook his head, "Not until I rule over the world!"

Lena rolled her eyes, "What did I say?" she gave her husband a pointed look and after several seconds Greed rolled his eyes and relented.

"...'I can't rule over the world if I have babies on board',"

"And _what_ do we have?" she arched a brow expectantly.

Greed sighed, "...Babies..."

Lena patted the spot behind her, leaving room for Greed to maneuver in. The former Homunculus sighed, settling behind his wife against her back and throwing the blanket over both of them to keep them warm as she cuddled up against him in her original position.

"Right," she smiled happily, "Now let's go to sleep," she settled against Greed, ready to fall asleep like she originally planned.

Greed smiled, shaking his head as he made himself comfortable and chanced a last glance over at his sleeping family, ' _I guess...I already do rule over the whole world...'_ he smiled, slowly closing his eyes, ' _...my own,'_

Lena waited several minutes before she checked if he was asleep. Smiling softly when he was well and truly asleep, Lena kissed his cheek lovingly, her tone but a whisper, "If I can be your queen then you'll be my king, with or without ruling the world,"

 **See you in the next chapter! :)**


	144. Getting Rusty

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait, I've been so focused on other stories and work/school that I completely neglected this one .

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Getting Rusty**

"So, care to tell me-" Ed delivered a devastating roundhouse kick to the next alchemist that dared to cross his path, "-how we got in this mess?!" he delivered a swift knee-thrust to the incoming man that tried to punch him, wincing slightly in sympathy when the man crumbled to the ground in a broken heap and whimpered at the pain in his crotch.

Greed pressed his back to Edward's, deflecting the protruding spikes coming his way with practiced, rapid thrusts of his outstretched hand like Ling taught him to fight, "You were the one sayin' we're getting rusty! There you have it!" Greed growled and slammed his elbow against the face of a uniformed soldier, most likely shattering the poor soldier's jaw and nose.

Ed rolled his eyes, smirking and kicking away another assailant, "I didn't mean it like _that_! I meant sparring!" he huffed, blowing away the persistent strand of hair constantly getting into his face.

He could hear Greed's battle cries and the unfortunate weeps of his victims only seconds later, chuckling when he felt Greed press his back against his own again, "Hey, don't be too harsh on them, they're only trying to help, ya know?"

Greed laughed, "Heh, must be a pain having to follow such ridiculous orders, huh?" he didn't seem to listen to Ed's advice, sending the next man sailing well over the fence of the practice grounds.

Ed grinned wickedly, "Mustang is so going to get us for destroying his soldiers like this," He could already picture the enraged temper tantrums when the Führer himself strolled through here only to witness his very own military training grounds littered with the unconscious bodies of his troops.

Greed shrugged, grabbing a soldier's jaw and hauling him into the air, "Just so we're clear, _you_ dragged me into this kid,"

Ed could sense the smugness rolling off of the Homunculus, "Yeah, but it wasn't me that started pummeling them into the ground,"

After a moment of silence where they kept attacking the incoming soldiers, both Greed and Ed simultaneously said, " _It was Ling,_ "

Ling's voice carried well over the barriers of Greed's control and the enraged voice left Greed's lips in an indignant shout of fury, " _Why you-!"_

All noise and would-be death threats died as the telltale sounds of heavy duty boots hitting the pavement echoed through the training grounds and when Ed turned his head, his grin only widened in glee.

None other than Roy Mustang, with his ever trusted assistant Riza Hawkeye, strolled through the grounds as if it were a garden.

His gaze swept over the defeated forms of his soldiers, some hanging off fences, others laying in heaps on the dusty ground.

He heaved a great sigh, "Tell me Lieutenant, how many soldiers had been assigned for training today?"

Riza didn't hesitate in answering, only doing a customary glance on the files in her hand as she answered even before her eyes met the paper, "Sixty-five, sir,"

Roy sighed heavily, already feeling a migraine forming and finally his gaze turn to the two culprits in the middle of the warzone.

Ed waved casually, and Greed chuckled, arms crossed expectantly, already waiting for the storm he knew would come.

Mustang never disappointed.

"Lieutenant," Roy didn't even need to glance at her.

Riza repressed a sigh and took a large step away from her superior, "Yes, sir,"

With that, Roy's fingers snapped in a flurry of motions, sending blasts of fire straight toward the smug, only mildly surprised blond-haired man that expertly evaded them, even without the help from his alchemy.

Greed had managed to narrowly jump away in time to escape the fire tornado aimed primarily at Edward, choosing instead to go to the safe zone he knew was definitely, at all times off limits to direct any sort of fire or weapon at: Hawkeye.

Walking to a standstill beside the uniformed woman, Greed casually yawned, "So, how was your day so far? Busy?"

Riza smiled a small smile, "Quite. Numerous paperwork to sign and still several places to visit,"

Greed smirked, "Are you behind schedule?" he already knew the answer.

Riza's smile widened just slightly, "We still have an hour before departing,"

Greed grinned, crossing his arms and playfully nudging her with his elbow, "Plenty of time to kill, don'tcha think?"

She couldn't help but agree as she led the way, Greed following as the two left the battlefield, fire and pieces of rock flying everywhere, "The buffet is open now if you're interested,"

Greed grinned widely, "You guys got a buffet? Damn the military sure invested wisely," Riza chuckled at that.

"The Führer made sure inevitable changes were made to ensure a more comfortable working atmosphere,"

And suddenly Greed's deeper voice was gone, replaced by a lighter, more chipper tone, "Ahh, how nice! See, we do have buffets back at Xing, but I haven't thought of putting them in the military facilities yet…hmmm…" Ling scratched his chin, ignoring Greed's deadpan comment.

 _"_ _That's because you're stuffing yourself full wherever you go, no need your soldiers getting as fat as you,"_

"Well, we have several specialties from Xing to offer as well, Emperor," Riza couldn't hide the hint of amusement, chuckling as Ling's eyes lightened up in glee, ignoring the pieces of rubble he ducked out of the way from as it flew over where his head had been.

"Sounds excellent! Lead the way Lieutenant General!" both parties smiled, heading for the building as enraged shouts of mockery and battle cries were heard behind them.

 _"_ _HA! Ya still can't beat me even when I can't perform alchemy! In your face Führer Useless!"_

 _"_ _You insufferable little pipsqueak! How dare you dispatch my whole unit out of your trivial boredom?! Stand still while I fry some sense into that pea-sized brain of yours Fullmetal!"_

And the rest as they say, was history.

 **Thanks for reading! :)**


	145. Unspoken Flattery

**A/N:** Hey everyone, apologies for not updating in a while, there's a whole epidemic of colds and flus circulating around here and I think I just recovered from my last high fever . Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Kaoruca:** haha I'll take that as a compliment ^^ Thanks for liking my one shots so far, your reviews made my day :3

 **Panic:** Panic! (hugs) Aw, man and I thought the ground swallowed you up! :) haha Gotta admit I missed you (I'm still wondering where some of the others are) but I'm glad you're still alive after all ;) Don't worry, I understand life getting in the way, I'm pretty busy too. Wow, attorney-in-training huh? Very impressive, you have my full respect. My mother studied law, when she showed me her old books she used to study from…well…I can only imagine the amounts of headache one has to endure to memorize everything and categorize that knowledge (I know my head would explode) ^^ haha As always, thanks for your lovely reviews my friend :3

 **Prompt: Set during the events of the night before the Promised Day, but with Lena in it as a twist! I added my own idea into how it would go! Requested by: (guest) FMA4Ever.**

* * *

 **Unspoken Flattery**

"Oh, man, she's a peach," Greed grinned saucily as the fuming man made his way silently downstairs, stopping to stand in front of the smirking Homunculus, "Sounds like she wants everything, my kinda girl,"

Ed frowned and turned back to Greed, "That kinda want is dangerous, it's not how reality works," he stared down at his automail arm and his frown deepened.

"You may want to bring back someone you've lost, you may want money, maybe you want women or you might want to protect the world. It's all common things people want. Greed may not be good, but it's not so bad either." Greed watched the blond go down the stairs, a hard look in his eyes, but he wasn't done talking just yet, "You humans think greed is just for money and power, but _everyone_ wants something they don't have,"

Greed smiled when Edward faltered, stopping mid-step at the bottom of the stairs, letting Greed's words sink in for the duration of a minute before he continued walking.

Greed heard the front door open and close and he sighed, smiling reverently. He said what needed to be said, what the kid did with his words was up to him.

"What did you tell him?" his eyes widened when he spotted Lena leaning against the stairwell at the bottom of the stairs, glaring up at him suspiciously before slowly ascending them.

He listened to her approaching footsteps, lips set into a thin line, "Nothing, just the truth,"

Lena frowned and instead of stopping by his side like the Homunculus expected, the warrior continued walking instead, going up to presumably talk to Winry, "I don't think sugar coated words are gonna be a big help here,"

The brunette turned her head just so, a haughty look in her eyes when they narrowed at him, "Now who said I would sugar coat them?"

Greed frowned in confusion, arms still crossed.

Lena resumed walking again when it seemed like her reluctant ally wouldn't speak again, but then he did and she stopped in her tracks, "Hey,"

Greed shifted on his position against the wall when she partly turned her body around to look at him, he looked away, "You can always go to Xing or in any other country to escape the Transmutation Circle. So why are you sticking along for the big fight?" he finally turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

He didn't understand this woman.

She had tried killing him on multiple occasions, he sometimes suspected she still did, and she defended him from a mob when he had been injured. Her actions sometimes didn't match with her words, saying she hated him when she still helped him or joked with him.

Women. Enigmas.

She remained silent for a long time, but when she did finally speak, she sounded surprisingly calm, "I told you, didn't I? Ed and the others are my friends. And…this is my home too, I won't let it get destroyed just because some crazy old man thinks he can rule the world. No offense," she pointedly looked at him and Greed laughed.

"Crazy old man, huh? Didn't know you think that about me," he smirked, but his tone didn't quite match his words.

Lena stared at the wall, smiling slightly, "Well, let's just say I think a little more about you than just being a crazy old power-hungry guy," she giggled and Greed chuckled.

"Maybe I think a little more about you than just being a stubborn woman with fancy kicks and punches," he grinned, all sharp teeth.

A mischievous smile was on her face, "Do I want to know?"

"Oh, I think you'll be flattered," his grin widened.

Lena smirked when he asked, "Do I want to know what you think of me?"

She paused for a moment, licking her lips in thought, Greed's eyes absentmindedly following the movement, before shooting back up to her eyes when she spoke again, smiling widely, "Oh, I think you'll be flattered,"

For a long moment, none of them said anything, until they both released amused chuckles.

With a look of understanding, Greed watched her ascend the few remaining steps towards Winry's room, knocking softly and waiting.

When the mechanic's voice curtly issued her permission, Lena disappeared behind the now closed door, greeting the mechanic fondly, and Greed was left alone to his thoughts again.

" _Well, I sure know what you think of her!"_ Ling's teasing voice rang out loudly through his mind, outmatching any and all souls he had in him.

Greed cringed, growling lowly under his breath, "Yeah, well nobody asked you!"

The stupid prince cackled loudly, " _We won't know until we switch! I'm sure Lena is interested to know how toned you think her legs are!"_

Greed swore he would kill the prince for his obnoxious laughter, "Shut the hell up! There's nothing wrong with admiring a fighter's physical traits! And besides, I'm a guy, I look," he crossed his arms uncomfortably tight, frowning.

Ling laughed again, " _Oh you do more than just look Greed!"_

Greed swore softly under his breath, "That was different! I grabbed her because Gluttony tossed her at me like a rag doll! What was I supposed to do? Stare and wave while she crashed into me?" now he was getting _angry_.

" _With your hand on her butt!"_

Greed felt himself fluster uncharacteristically, "Watch it prince! My hand slipped I told you that!"

Ling stuck his tongue out at the enraged Homunculus, " _Oh yeah? That's the oldest excuse in the book! As if I would believe something like that!"_

* * *

Lena and Winry both listened to Greed's seemingly one-sided conversation, with the Homunculus increasingly growing more irritated by the second.

"What's his problem?" Winry's arched eyebrow shot to her hairline.

Lena sighed with a hand on her hip, "Probably Ling messing with him again," she rolled her eyes, "Ahem, anyway," her voice softened, stance considerably more relaxed when not confronting the man outside, "How are you holding up with everything?"

She wasn't entirely sure how to go about this what with Ed storming out on her, but she would somehow coax Winry to talk.

The blonde sighed, packing away her tools, "Fine, I guess." Another great sigh, the wrench she held in her hand was now on the desk, "Ed just- _ugh!_ " she shook her head, throwing her hands up over her head.

"…Is just being Ed?" she grinned sheepishly.

Winry looked at her and smiled, "Y-yeah…" her shoulders slumped and she moved toward the bed, Lena sat down next to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, waiting patiently for her to say something, "He's doubting himself, Lena."

The martial artist chuckled, "I don't think it's really that, at least in the way you think." She tried to choose her words carefully to not make her more upset, "I mean…the weight of the world rests on his shoulders basically, talk about pressure, huh?" she grinned, "He's just scared something will go wrong, it's understandable when you think about who we've got to deal with," she sighed.

"Can you tell me…what that Father guy is like? I heard he looks like Hohenheim," Winry's questioning, sad eyes were fixed upon Lena's.

The alchemist frowned, "Yeah…well, a crazier, more evil version of him anyway. He's the creator of the Homunculi, he uh, he separated his emotions into the "sins" to make himself more powerful, since he thought without "weak" human emotions he would become something like the 'perfect being' who can even rival God in power." Lena fell quiet, thinking over what next to say, "He's a very powerful foe, I don't blame Ed for feeling the way he does, but I understand you too. You hate seeing him with doubt, especially for his usually determined self,"

Winry nodded, "Ed's always done everything he put his mind to, just like he never faltered once to do everything he could to bring their bodies back. It's just…scary seeing him like this,"

Lena sighed, "I get that." Both women fell silent, thinking over each-others words, before Lena began again, "Still…he needs all the support he can get. None of us know if we will survive the Promised Day or not or _who_ will. He's behaving like an idiot because he doesn't know how else to show his feelings, you know that better than anyone." Winry snorted but silently agreed.

Then, Lena stood up, "Well, I'm gonna go see what that damn Homunculus is up to, I still don't trust him, even if Ling _is_ still in there," she scoffed, going for the door.

She froze when Winry suddenly spoke up in a teasing voice, "Really? I got the impression that you guys warmed up to each-other,"

Lena stiffened, "Whatever gave you that idea? I can barely stand the guy!"

Winry giggled, "I hear you guys bickering from time to time, it actually reminds me a bit of Ed and I," she smiled sadly, "I long since accepted what I feel for him, maybe it's time you did too?" she grinned.

Lena flushed uncomfortably, turning the knob and opening the door, spying Greed no longer in the hallway, "Tch, I barely know the guy, besides he looks like trouble, so I wouldn't count on anything happening at all. Besides, he's a Homunculus…I.. doubt he would be capable of any such feelings," she shrugged half-heartedly, clearing her throat, "Right, good night Winry, try to rest," she smiled at her friend.

Winry returned the smile, "Thanks Lena, you too."

With that, the brunette closed the door behind her, taking a deep breath.

That went well.

She stretched, slowly walking down the stairs.

At least Greed was gone.

She stopped mid-step, thinking back to the words she caught him saying to Ed before the blond walked off.

 _You humans think greed is just for money and power, but everyone wants something they don't have._

A small smile stretched over her lips and her hand went to rub at the back of her neck.

She supposed they could agree on _one_ thing, after all.

 **That's all for now! Thanks for reading! :)**


	146. My Mother's Story

**A/N:** HELLO FELLOW FMA FANS! ….I apologize for being so inactive, I was concentrating on my other stories that I unfortunately neglected this one :( BUT I will still update, maybe not as frequently and maybe the updates will be far and fewer between, BUT I WILL UPDATE!

Here's a bit of a thing that stuck in my head until I wrote it down, hope you enjoy! :3

 **NOTICE:** Edward is narrating the events in this chapter, marked in _italics._

* * *

 **My Mother's Story**

 _This may sound crazy._

 _I may be delusional._

 _People won't believe me._

 _But I don't give a damn._

 _Some stories were believed to be myths, legends or simply forgotten. People would never believe a story of supernatural things, right? Of things incomprehensible for the human mind to decipher, of things deemed impossible by people who were thought to have tried and done everything the world has to offer._

 _Well, this story was real._

 _It was the story about my mother._

 _In a way, this story was supernatural too._

 _The love she had for him, that is._

* * *

It was a peaceful time free of illnesses and the plague destroying her crops, it was a time, some would say to fall in love.

Trisha Elric was a woman of work.

 _He_ was a man of science.

They called him Hohenheim.

Not much was known about him, only that he was a traveler, with the appearance of people long seemed gone, with hair and eyes the color of the sun and knowledge far surpassing even the healers in Central.

Her neighbors warned her, told her to be wary of him if he were to cross her path, to not ask questions and mind her own business, but she simply couldn't.

They said he was cold, a man of few words and even fewer smiles. But tales of his astounding, heroic deeds of helping the ill and those in need traveled fast in a village as small as Resembool, he was bound to be a good man, right?

It was at the marketplace that she first spoke to him.

It had been an accident on her part, running into him, quite literally.

Her basket had dropped to the ground, thankfully sparing the delicate eggs, and she had hurried to pick it up and apologize.

And the man had helped her. Had apologized to her. Had…smiled.

It was a smile that spoke of years of living on this earth, years no other human could have lived, it spoke of happy days remembered but long gone, it spoke of pain and sorrow buried beneath a cool façade.

It spoke of friendliness.

So she returned it.

With a bright smile and a meal.

The man had been flustered, especially about all the sudden rumors circulating about town, about the unmarried Trisha Elric inviting the normally distanced, mysterious, but undoubtedly handsome traveler to her home.

But she ignored them.

And after their tenth shared meal, so did he.

He stopped trying to convince her pursuing a relationship was a bad idea, he stopped trying to distance himself from her, he stopped trying to act cold and aloof when she bestowed upon him the brightest of smiles and the kindest of glances.

He stopped resisting, and so did she.

 _They were young, but so were many other people that were married. It wasn't a bad thing, not necessarily. People eventually accepted that the poor, hard-working woman melted the cold traveler's heart._

 _But he had a secret._

 _And she had a fear._

She had noticed the signs, she wasn't a fool.

He had become distant again, he hid paper scrolls he had in his study and she never entered without permission, which was rarely given.

He was hiding, she was worrying.

It was in the evening in their home, the evening that felt like their hundredth shared one, that she finally broke.

She had talked. He had listened.

She thought the love they held for another was gone, but when the so carefully kept secret had spilled from his lips in a whisper, did she understand.

He was an alchemist, a very powerful one.

He had come from a country called Xerxes, of an ancient race.

He was immortal and was the one to even invent the practice of alchemy.

He had been betrayed by a being he had called a friend and as curse in disguise received the gift of immortality.

The smile on her face was more than he could bear and before he could stand up to leave, she had hugged him to her and cried in relief.

Despite the hundreds of years he had spent walking this earth, he hadn't ever encountered someone like her and he could say he finally found the home he would happily die in peace.

And then, their first baby came.

It was a boy and they named him Edward.

Trisha had chosen the name, but with a smile, she promised he would get to choose for the next one.

And he did.

Their second son's name was Alphonse.

Somehow, Trisha had expected such a name, coming from a man named Hohenheim.

And they were happy, for a long time.

A too short time.

 _The old man left while we were still young and mom raised us alone. Al and I hated him for leaving, for hurting mom like that, but she never spoke ill of him, she always defended him, always._

 _During the day, she would smile and say it was okay. But in the night, we could hear her cry sometimes. We had no idea what really happened back then, why the bastard left. I thought because he was a selfish bastard, siring children and then leaving. But it was only when mom got ill and right before she died, that I was slowly beginning to understand._

She looked like she had aged more than the time Edward had known her. Back then, he didn't understand it all too well, all he knew was, his mother was sick, very sick.

And a few weeks later, his mother was gone.

It was old hag Pinako that had told him what Trisha said before she died.

 _"_ _I'm sorry but I'm dying first,"_

It had been a promise to Hohenheim.

To wait for him to return.

It was around that time that Edward, the genius alchemist he had grown up to be, had figured it out.

Hohenheim hadn't left simply out of boredom, he had left to protect his family.

The Homunculi, the Dwarf in the Flask, the Nationwide Transmutation Circle…

Edward hadn't known, neither did Alphonse, of course they hadn't. Mom never said anything and nobody had known but her.

It was after the battle with the Homunculi, the battle with Father, that Edward and Alphonse understood.

Hohenheim was immortal.

Trisha was – _had been_ – a normal human woman.

She aged.

He did not.

She had promised to wait for him, however long it took, to lead a long and healthy life in order to greet him when he came back.

But the plague took her and their promise was broken.

And so was Hohenheim's heart.

Pinako had told him how he had died, kneeling before his mother's grave, with a smile on his face.

He had never seen his corpse, he didn't think he could have had the stomach to either, but he could picture it and strangely that had put his mind at peace.

In the end, they had led a hard but fulfilling life and Edward thought that, maybe, if such a thing existed, they may be able to enjoy their time in the afterlife _together_.

 _I never thought about how a person could be happy when leading such a rough life. But after living my own, I figured it out. Mom didn't have a lot, folk in Resembool didn't swim in money, but she had family, people that loved her and that had been enough. She knew her husband had loved her, because of us, because of me and Al, she knew she could trust him, so she did. Despite all the hardships, she endured and she saw him again, in the end._

 _And in the end, she was smiling._

 **Thanks for reading! :)**


	147. I'll Be Good

**A/N:** Hi everyone, hope you are all doing well. Been buried in studies lately, I hope I can update more regularly again :)

 **ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

 **Panic:** Oh really? Could you send me a link? I'd love to read your work! :3 Oh, gotta check that one (thanks for the hint about Greed and Lena, I'll try to correct that one ;) Ahh, I always look forward to your reviews buddy, best of luck at work and in general RL. Don't stress too much! :)

 **Yarita-chan:** Claro y gracias :)

 **AutomailSucker(Pouda-P):** haha Of course I remember one of my dedicated readers :) it's good to see you around, haven't received reviews from familiar faces/names in a while ^_^ Thanks for the sweet compliments, ah I've been as fine as I can be, busy with studies. :P Oh I'm not sure which one you mean, what chapter was it that Winry dated a guy? (Ugh, I'm so sorry I forgot, but I'll look into it again). I agree about Trisha, she reallys deserves more attention.

 **Prompt: Inspired by the song "I'll be Good" by Jaymes Young.**

* * *

 **I'll Be Good**

 _I'll be good._

He thought with a bitter taste on the tip of his tongue as the metallic flavor of his blood hit him full force.

 _I'll be good._

He hadn't called in at least three months, that much he was sure of. Winry had tried calling, but with his wandering ways, she was never able to reach him.

 _I'll be good._

The end of a war was a joyous occasion, the start of another was not. Much less the war he was waging within his heart.

 _I'll be good._

So many people, so many people as there were alchemical formulas and laws. No, even more. He would never be able to remember each of their names, but he remembered their faces well.

And he had a feeling he wouldn't ever regret.

 _I'll be good._

He didn't know then how much of his life force would've been sapped away, healing destroyed muscle tissue with a gaping wound as his had been back when he had first thought Kimblee…

He should have been prepared.

But he _wasn't._

 _I'll be good._

He felt like there was much more to the world than what he had experienced thus far. True, he may not have his alchemy anymore, but there was so much more, so many people to help, places to be, experiences to make.

And suddenly, it felt so small. So… _insignificant._

Edward felt his ribs shake with the effort to breathe and he realized it took all of his strength to draw that shaky breath.

Air was escaping from another exit and he realized with rising dread that this time, not even alchemy could help him.

 _I'll be good._

He should have called more often, he knew. He shouldn't have come late to this brother's wedding. He knew that too. He shouldn't have always wrecked his automail just when it got repaired. He shouldn't have recklessly fought all those battles, he should have been more careful.

Now he would pay the price.

 _I'll be good._

It was too late for regrets, as he felt the numbness continue to spread over his body and now not even his ribs shook anymore.

Vision cloud with a sort of fog, Edward fought to keep his eyes open.

The last thing he wanted to see was something peaceful, beautiful. He regretted it wasn't Winry at that moment, or his brother happy with his family, or see all his friends before…

Edward swallowed thickly and he realized he didn't swallow, he had coughed out blood instead.

 _I'll be good._

He shouldn't have done as many mistakes as he had. If he had done fewer ones, maybe he could have saved a little girl, maybe he could have prevented a war that slaughtered many and spared little, maybe he could have done so much more.

But he didn't.

Now, his throat felt numb and he wasn't sure if he was even breathing anymore, the feeling in his eyes started to fade as well, vision interrupted by the lethargic blinking of his heavy eyelids.

It was time.

 _I'll be good._

Edward was never one to believe in god, despite coming close to defeating one in the past.

He closed his eyes, thinking of what was awaiting him at the gate of truth. Would Truth snort and say he was expecting him? Would he simply watch as Edward was pulled into nothingness and…ceased to exist?

Despite his eyes being closed, Ed could still envision the sky, bright, clear, _blue_.

Blue like her eyes.

His heart, or something close to it, constricted painfully and he wasn't sure if his body was moving or if he was imagining it.

Either way he was slipping.

 _I'll be good._

It was too late to remedy his mistakes, he knew that.

It was too late for regrets.

So, why was he feeling regretful?

With the last of his consciousness slipping, Edward Elric bid farewell to the world of the living and descended into something not even he was familiar with.

Despite the space being pure white, it reminded him of things.

Red like blood splattered on the battlefield of war.

Yellow like the golden hair of his brother.

Green like the lush grass back at home.

Gray like the old hag's head.

Black like a certain fire alchemist's fiery eyes and unruly hair.

Brown like the color of his loyal lieutenant's.

Teal like the summer dress he had once bought for his wife.

Orange like the stupid, overly colorful clothes of a certain Emperor of Xing.

And then blue.

Blue like her eyes but also like the sky.

A crystal, clear blue. Pure, _good._

All that he was not.

" _…_ _I'll be good,_ "

 **Thanks for reading!**


End file.
